Generator Rex: Six's Story
by YellowAngela
Summary: This story is in conjunction with my made-up season 4. It will make references to events that occurred in that fanfic. So you may be confused if you just read this first. Someone who Six thought was gone reappears and threatens his loved ones. He realizes that his past is keeping them apart and decides to share it with her. Will she be willing to accept all of him? HOLIX
1. Chapter 1

**I actually started this story in the summer and was hesitant to put it up because I was afraid it's been done to death but I really wanted some HOLIX and I still needed to wrap up one loose end in my Made-up Season 4. I actually wanted it to be a part of the Season 4 but it just didn't fit anywhere so I'm making it a separate story. I don't own any of the characters.**

Six gritted his teeth. He had thought the man had died in the explosion but it seems he was wrong, like a lot of things lately. He glared at Dos, "What do you want?"

Dos sat casually in Six's office chair flipping through some files on his desk.

"Revenge of course." He tossed the papers carelessly onto the desk. "It was my last big finish and you had to go and ruin it. And for what?" He growled getting up. "For some piece of filth you don't even know?" Dos whipped out his cane and sprayed bullets at Six.

Six leapt into the air and did a forward roll into a battle stance flicking out his magna blades along the way. He ran at Dos reflecting bullets with his blades back at the elderly mercenary. Dos nimbly dodged them and deflected Six's blades when they came down on him. Dos kicked Six in the stomach and pushed him into the air. Six did a backwards flip onto his feet with his magna blades at the ready.

He glared at Dos, "How did you get in here?"

"You're security is pitiful. "Dos scoffed as he shot some more bullets at Six.

Six blocked them. "Well, you're trapped now and with all the racket we're making security will soon be here."

Dos laughed humorlessly, "Just what I was hoping."

Suddenly there were explosions outside the office door. Six heard panic and confusion outside the office. He glared at Dos.

"This is between you and me." Dos sniffed as he circled Six. "I will have the pleasure of killing you. Then your little machine boy and doctor will be next."

At the mention of Rex and Rebecca, Six stiffened and glared at Dos. "Like you said, this is between you and me."

Dos didn't answer but lunged at the ninja with his cane.

0o0

Earlier that day Rebecca was waiting for the mail truck to arrive. She was excited and giddy but tried to hide it. Today was the day _it_ was coming. She had spent the last few months researching and saving up for this moment. And if it was as good as promised it would have been all worth it.

She saw the mail truck in the distance. A few minutes later it was pulling up in front of her. An unfamiliar man stepped out of the truck.

"Hi, where's Caleb?" Rebecca asked addressing the new mailman.

"He had an emergency. Filling in for him." The man smiled as he went to the back of the truck. Rebecca frowned. There was something about the man that made her think she had met him before. There was also something off about him like maybe his black hair looked a little too perfect or the way his speech was stilted. But she dismissed all these thoughts as he brought out the mail and on top was a long package that she had been waiting for.

"I think that might be mine." She said trying to hide her excitement.

The man smiled and handed it to her. Rebecca grabbed her package and ran back to her lab. If she had bothered to turn around she would have seen the mailman put a cane into the mail bin before rolling it into the base.

0o0

When Rebecca got back to her lab she ripped the packaging open. Inside was a wooden box. She held her breath as she opened it. She examined the merchandise and when she was satisfied she closed the box. She quickly grabbed a pen and paper from the printer. She thought a moment about what to write and then scrawled a message. She rummaged through her desk for an envelope and tape. When she finally found it, always the last place you look, she stuffed the note into the envelope and taped it onto the box. She then wrote "Six" on the envelope before tucking the box under her arm and leaving her lab furtively.

She reached Six's room unnoticed. Relieved she punched in the code for his room. She entered and carefully placed the box on his bed. She was grinning like an idiot. She hoped Six liked his early Christmas present. Suddenly she heard explosions from above.

Rebecca frowned as the warning sirens went off and her comlink buzzed alive with activity. She hit her earpiece.

"What's going on?" She demanded as she flew from the room being careful to shut it first.

"Don't know." Came the response. "It came from the direction of Agent Six's office.

Rebecca froze a moment before heading to White Knight's old office.

0o0

Rex had been playing video games in his room when he heard the explosions. "What now?" He groaned. He was about to get a new high score.

He ran out of his room, formed his Rex ride, and rode off to where he heard the explosions.

When he arrived he saw people removing injured agents from the blast site. He saw White … Six's office door blackened by the explosion but it remained in tack. He heard fighting inside. Rex formed his Smack hands and tried to smash the door. Tried being the operative word. Electricity shot out of the door and blew Rex back. His Smack hands shattered as he hit the wall. Holiday ran in just in time to see Rex fly back. She ran over to him.

"Rex, what happened?" She asked.

"Por favor envíe sus sillas y mesas de bandeja a la posición completa y vertical.*" Rex moaned.

Holiday helped him up. Rex shook his head and rubbed it as he got up off the floor. He glared at the door. He formed his Punk busters and started to run at the door.

Holiday stopped him. "Rex, that might not be the wisest move. Why don't you try communicating with it?"

Rex paused. Oh yeah, why didn't he think of that? Well, that's why she's the doctor with three PHds. He placed his hand on the console and closed his eyes. Blue lines rose from his hands and the walls. There was a sound of something shorting and the door opened.

Rex rushed in, "Que whaaa?" He stood in shock. Dos was suppose to be dead, wasn't he? But there he was fighting Six… to the death it looked like. Neither man was pulling their punches. Dos took a quick look over at Rex before tossing a metal sphere at him. Before Rex had a chance to move the sphere grew tentacles and wrapped itself around the boy. Shocks came and incapacitated him. Rex screamed in pain as he dropped to the floor. His eyes started to glow white. Six stopped when he saw Rex drop.

"Rex!" He yelled running to the boy but Dos knocked him down with a swift kick. Six rolled to avoid his cane. He pushed himself up and glowered at Dos. He glanced at Rex out of the corner of his eye. He was still being shocked.

"Stop it Dos!" Six growled.

"You don't give me orders." Dos scoffed. He swung his cane at Six.

Holiday was just as surprised as Rex when she saw the supposedly dead mercenary. She watched in terror as Rex was knocked onto the floor by a weapon that was now sending endless shocks through his body. She had never seen a device like that before.

"Rex, if you can hear me try to make your Blast caster." Holiday yelled at the boy.

For a second she thought Rex hadn't heard but suddenly a generator grew from his back. The tentacles snapped off as the generator stretched them to capacity. The shocks stopped as the device fell off him. Rex's build rescinded as he passed out. Holiday grabbed him and pulled him out of the room. She called for medical help when she reached safety.

Six was relieved when Holiday pulled Rex out. He gripped his blades tighter and charged the old man. Dos side stepped Six and sliced his back. Six grimaced as he spun around to block Dos's cane. He could feel blood ooze through the wound on his back. It didn't feel too deep but he cursed himself for getting sloppy.

Dos laughed humorlessly. "You care so much about others now, do you? You weren't always like this. I wonder what your friends would think if they knew your past."

Six scowl grew deeper. He kicked Dos away and twirled one blade over his head before bringing it down on Dos who blocked it but it left his flank wide open which Six used to his advantage. He swung his other blade and sliced Dos in the middle. To Six's surprise the blade hit body armor. Dos punched Six who staggered back but managed to stabilize and block some more bullets that came his way. Six was counting. Dos should be out of bullets soon. And then he just had to contend with his sword and gas attacks. Sure enough after several clicks Dos realized he was out of bullets. Six took this momentary distraction to aim a kick at him. It knocked Dos back but he swung his cane and gas came out the tip into Six's face. Six stepped back coughing violently.

"Would your friends think so highly of you once they find out you are nothing more than a common murderer and thug?" Dos continued his taunts.

Six knew Dos was just trying to mess with his head but it help him reach an epiphany. Yes, he was worried about Rebecca getting hurt because of his enemies but she had shown she can take care of herself. It was just another long list of excuses he told himself to hide what he was really afraid of. He realized that all the pulling away he did with her was due in part to his fear of her finding out about his past. He couldn't stand the thought of her thinking poorly of him. Would she be repulsed? Would she leave him? He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. He focused his energy on defeating Dos. He can't let him win.

0o0

Caesar was working on one of his inventions when the he heard the explosions then alarms. He grabbed his comlink and listened in on the frantic conversations. He quickly grabbed his stun gun from the desk and hurried to Six's new office. He knew Rex would be there and he might need his big brother's help.

When he arrived he heard Holiday requesting medical assistance. He paused a moment when he saw her cradling Rex.

"Is he all right?" Caesar peered into his brother's eyes with a small flashlight.

"I think he'll be okay but he endured a lot of electric shocks." Holiday said.

"What happened?" Caesar inquired.

"Someone from Six's past." Holiday answered not sure what else to say.

Caesar merely nodded. He picked his brother up.

"I'm taking him to medbay." He hurried down the hall with Rex in his arms.

Holiday looked after them for a moment before turning her attention back to the office. Security had taken away the injured agents but they have yet to return to help Six. She wondered what happened to them. She picked up a gun one of the grunts had dropped and cautiously made her way back to the office. She heard metal on metal as the fight raged on inside. Rebecca took a deep breath and entered the office. Dos saw her and threw three metal balls at her. But she was ready. She shot all three before they reached her. Gas exploded from them and filled the room. Holiday stepped back coughing. Dos was surprised by his own gas coming back at him. He started coughing. Six covering his mouth and nose with the crook of his arm grabbed Dos with his free hand and swung him around hard. He let go and Dos flew through the window. The window shattered and Dos fell out. Six heard the mercenary scream as he fell to the ground.

The gas escaped through the broken window clearing the air inside the room. Six limped over to the window and looked out. He saw Dos's broken body on the ground below. Agents were cautiously approaching it looking it over. Six looked over at Holiday who looked at him in horror. Six felt a pang of regret for taking a human life in front of her. He then collapsed onto the floor from his wounds.

0o0

Holiday was suturing Six's wound on his back. They were both silent. Six was thinking about what had just happened. The lump was back in his throat and his chest felt tight. He knew it was not from his injuries.

Rex was lying in the bed next to them. He was still unconscious from the shocks but his nanites were already healing his wounds. Caesar had run many tests and all came back normal.

Six thought about Dos's words. They had hurt more than the blows he gave him. Six wondered how Rebecca would react if she knew about his past. Would she be repulsed by him? He couldn't remember what kind of man he had been before his memory loss. But he remembered how she pulled away from him when he first interacted with her after his memory lapse. He was embarrassed now by his over the top flirting with her. He remembered the look of shock on her face when he threw Dos out of the window. He really had not meant to kill the old mercenary who now lay in the Providence morgue waiting to be transported to an unmarked grave. But he was faintly glad he was dead since it meant one less threat to his loved ones. But what should he do about Rebecca? Should he continue to pursue this relationship?

Holiday was terrified that Six was going to withdraw again. She could never really tell what he was thinking. Would he deem himself too dangerous to be with and take himself out of her life… again? She could see him doing that. She was afraid to say anything. She was waiting for him to say something.

Finally, Six spoke.

"Holiday," he began, "I…I think we should keep our interactions professional."

Holiday's heart sank and tears sprang to her eyes. She was glad he couldn't see her. But she started getting angry.

"Six, you can't keep doing this." She seethed as she gave the last stitch an extra hard pull. "You can't tell me you love me one minute and the second something… difficult happens you run away."

Six swallowed hard partly from the pain of the last stitch and partly because of Rebecca's words. "I'm not running away…"

"What do you call it then?"

Six's voice was still calm but with an edge to it.

"I'm trying to protect you."

"I can take care of myself!"

"I can't let you suffer because of my past."

"Everyone has a past. It's the future that matters."

"You don't understand…"

"Then help me understand Six!"

By now the tears were starting to come and she was shouting.

Six stayed silent.

Holiday couldn't take anymore. She roughly slapped medical tape over the suture and left the room… or rather she ran out.

Six pulled his bloodied shirt back on, grabbed his blades and jacket, and then left for his room.

0o0

Six felt like a complete jerk. He had hurt her again. But what could he do? What should he do? He could try to continue with his relationship with her and keep his past from her. But that would put a strain on their already tenuous relationship. Or he could let her go so she could find someone worthy of her. Thinking about the latter made him feel like there was a knife twisting in his gut.

He was glad when he reached his room but when he entered he immediately knew someone had been there. He tensed and his blades came out. He spotted something on his bed. He approached it carefully. Then he saw his name written in familiar handwriting on the envelope taped to the box.

He relaxed and put his blades away. He opened the lid of the box. His breath caught as he saw what it was.

The katana that had broken when last he fought Dos on the Nanite Island lay in the velvet lined box. He reverently picked up the scabbard and with a click pulled the sword out. As he examined it he saw it was perfectly and expertly repaired. You would never have known that the katana had snapped. It was done by a professional who understood how this weapon was made. He put it back into its scabbard. He walked over to the empty mount and put the katana back in its rightful place. He walked back to the box and picked up the note on the box. He pulled out the letter.

Six,

I hope you like your early Christmas gift. I couldn't wait to give it to you.

Love,

Holiday

Six sat on the edge of his bed staring at the sword and then the letter. It must have cost her a small fortune to get his katana fixed. After the first fight with Dos he had not even thought about his broken sword. He was focused on avoiding Holiday, then missing her when she left, and then angry at himself for almost losing her to another man. When he finally got the girl he faintly wondered about his sword. It was a link to his past. He was not proud of his past but it was his and it made him who he was. The katana was given to him by One, his master. He treasured it, used it, and then when he started life at Providence he exchanged that blade for his magna blades. He couldn't quite recall how he got the new swords but it seemed to fit his new life here. He put the old one away as a reminder that he was through with his old life. But when Dos had dared to threatened the ones he loved he pulled his old katana back out. He didn't want to soil his new blades with his old life so he used his old weapon. It seemed apropos.

He took off his sunglasses and tossed them to the side. He tiredly rubbed his face with both hands. He sadly looked at the blade again. He wasn't being fair to Rebecca. He finally made a decision. He grabbed his shades and went to look for her.

0o0

Rebecca was on the balcony overlooking the former Petting Zoo. She was angry at herself for crying. It wasn't worth it. HE wasn't worth it. Him with his stupid compulsion to protect her from his enemies, real or imagined. Him with his stupid emotional constipation. Him with his stupid pulling away all the time. She angrily wiped the tear that had spilled out of her eye. No! She wasn't going to cry anymore. She bit her lip bidding her eyes not to well up again.

"Rebecca?" Came his voice from behind her.

She didn't answer nor did she turn to look at him.

"Rebecca, I'm sorry." Six tried again.

Rebecca still didn't answer. She heard him sigh. In the reflection in the glass window, she saw him run his hand through his short hair in frustration.

She almost felt sorry for him.

"Please, Rebecca, can we talk?" Rebecca heard an emotion in his voice that she had heard only once before. It was when he was talking Circe out of taking the serum.

"I think I've heard all I want from you." She said coldly.

She could see him wince in the reflection. She wanted to hurt him as badly as he had hurt her. But even as she thought that, a piece of her wanted to run into his arms and hold him.

She now saw him pushing his shades higher and tightening his tie. A double whammy she thought. He must really be nervous.

"Just give me an hour or two." He almost sounded like he was begging. But Six doesn't beg she scoffed to herself. Holiday thought about just walking away and she started to. But out of the corner of her eye she saw his reflection's shoulder slump a little and his head hang a bit lower.

"You have an hour." She wondered why she was such a sucker.

Six nodded. "Meet me in my old office."

0o0

Holiday sat in Six's rarely used old office. She looked around. It was cramped, spartan and dusty. She wasn't sure why he kept it seeing as he now has White's old office. She sat in his office chair, the only chair in the room. With nothing to do she slowly rolled it back and forth with one foot as she stared at the ceiling. She had no idea what Six wanted to say to her and right at that moment she didn't care. She was still angry.

Six knocked before coming in. He looked at her and she him.

"Thank you for coming." He began.

Rebecca didn't say anything but merely nodded.

He leaned against the wall and looked at her for a moment.

"You have an hour." Rebecca reminded him.

Six pushed his tie higher.

"Rebecca, I need to be honest with you. I'm not the man you think I am and I need you to know who I really am so you know if you want to be with me." Six stopped. He was just babbling now. He could see confusion etched on her face.

"I mean, I'm going to ask you to hear my story and if you still want us to be together then I promise I will never push you away again. If after the story you want to…go, I promise to leave you alone and we'll just be… co-workers."

Rebecca still looked confused but nodded.

Six took a deep breath and started his story.

***Please return your chairs and tray tables to the full and upright position**.

**Does anyone want me to continue with this? If you do, let me know. I'm not sure when I'll find time but if there's enough demand I can try to fit it in. Otherwise I'll just end it with a deus ex machina. **

**Some have been asking about a Season 5. I don't know about that. So let me know if you really want another season. I'm not sure if I can right now but I'll think about it for the summer if I know people would actually read it. You can also PM me if you want. If there's enough response I wanted to use this story to segue into the next season.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own any of the characters.**

**SirenSounds97:**** Ahh, the pressure. I'm not sure what you were expecting but I hope you're not disappointed. I have to warn you that this gets dark.**

**Lionsandtrolls: You didn't think there was enough Caesar in Season 4? BTW I thought your take on him in your fanfic was interesting. You're right, not much is known about Caesar but I thought of him more as the nerdy type. **

**SDF: I hope you like it.**

**Fanaticagenrex: Gracias por tu comentario. Espero que te guste el resto.**

_Maisy was woken up by a pounding on the door of the missions. She groggily got up pulled on her robe and slogged to the door. She pushed her blond hair out of her eyes. The pounding continued. _

"_Coming, coming." She muttered. She reached the door and unbolted the main lock. She kept the chain on as she opened the door a smidge. _

"_What?" She peered through the crack. She didn't see anyone. Puzzled she opened the door wider and tried to see further. Suddenly she heard wailing from her feet. She looked down and saw a tattered box fitted with a blanket over it. The wailing was coming from the box. She quickly closed the door, undid the chain lock, and opened the door wide. She knelt down and removed the blanket. A baby lay crying in the box. She gingerly picked the child up. She looked for some identification but there was none. She looked around but the courtyard was empty and not a soul was around. Soft traffic noise came from beyond the gate but other than that no sound was heard other than the baby who was no longer crying but cooing._

_She brought the box and baby in and closed the door to the darkness._

_The baby cried through the night. Maisy's nerves were frayed. The baby needed formula. She had none and the stores wouldn't be open for hours yet. She rocked and walked the child while making shushing sounds. After what seemed like an eternity the baby finally fell asleep from exhaustion. Maisy afraid to put the baby down fell asleep holding the child in an arm chair. _

_The housekeeper, who came in every morning to clean, found Maisy and the child that morning asleep together. Maisy started awake when the lady touched her arm. She looked at the native Japanese lady tiredly._

"_Where did this come from?" She asked in Japanese._

"_I found him on our doorsteps last night." Maisy answered in her broken Japanese. "We need formula and diapers." Right at that moment the baby was using an old t-shirt of hers as a diaper._

_The housekeeper frowned and nodded. She left for the store while Maisy looked at her charge. What was she going to do with him?_

_The child whimpered but did not cry. Evidently it gave up on being fed. Maisy felt bad for him. She looked over at the clock. 9o'clock? She quickly got up laid the baby in the middle of her bed and got dressed. The baby protested and began to cry but with less vigor this time. Maisy threw some clothes on and quickly picked the child up again. The baby immediately calmed down. _

_Maisy had a meeting with the director of the missions this morning and she couldn't be late. She looked at the child. She couldn't leave it alone so she changed his "diaper" into another old t-shirt and took him along for her meeting._

_Her director, a stern no nonsense man, looked warily at her and the baby._

"_What is that?" He inquired gruffly._

_Maisy blinked and tried not to sound facetious, "It's a baby. Pregnant women have them."_

_The director glared at her. "I'm well aware of what a baby is. I mean what is it doing here?"_

_Maisy explained what happened._

"_Well, we need to send the baby to a more appropriate place."_

"_What? But what's more appropriate than a missions?" Maisy protested._

"_Who's going to take care of it?" He asked. "You have a job to do here. It must go to the orphanage."_

"_But, "Maisy tried to object but the director had made up his mind._

_When the housekeeper returned with formula and diapers Maisy fed and changed the child. An hour later she dropped the little bundle off at the Okinawa Orphanage. She held the little bundle up to her face._

"_I promise to visit you every week. I promise I'll try my best to take care of you and protect you." She whispered to the baby._

_The uninterested matron at the desk looked at Maisy. _

"_State your business." She said in Japanese._

"_I'm the one who called about an abandoned baby." She answered in Japanese. Maisy took a deep breath and handed the baby over to the lady._

Six began his story.

As far back as I could remember I lived at the Okinawa Orphanage. Once a week a woman named Maisy would visit me. She apparently found me and brought me there. In Japan they have strict laws protecting the rights of biological parents. So even though I was found abandoned, my "parents" still had legal rights in case they ever showed up so I was not allowed to be adopted. So I lived at the orphanage for the first ten years of my life. The first nine years were not bad. Maisy came every weekend. Sometimes she took me on outings. She would bring me toys and treats. She taught me English and brought me books to read. Sometimes they let her stay late and put me to bed. On Sundays she would take me to church with her. I lived as contently as any child without parents could. Then the old director retired and his son began running the orphanage. He was more concerned about his social status than our welfare. At first everything ran the same way it always did. Then he said that there would be changes because of budget cuts. We didn't know it at the time but later it was revealed he was taking money from the orphanage and using it for himself. Many of the adult staff was fired. He allowed the older boys to "take care of" us younger kids. That's when the abuse began. I got the worse of it because it was obvious that I wasn't fully Japanese.

"Hafu! Half-breed!" Jiro yelled at me as he shoved me to the floor.

"Shut up!" I said getting up and shoving him back. Unfortunately, I was out numbered as his friends suddenly descended on me kicking and punching me. When their energy was spent they left me on the floor unconscious. When I woke, it was night and I had missed dinner. The adults looked the other way. They were all afraid for their jobs. This continued all week. I tried to fight back but I didn't know how and there were too many of them.

When Maisy saw the bruises, she was outraged. She demanded to see the director but it was obvious that the director was prejudice against Maisy. There was nothing she could do. The director dismissed her complaints. He told her that it was just boys being boys. Every day I endured one type of beating or another. The only consolation was they only picked on me once a day. After the confrontation they left me alone for the rest of the day. I could only hope that they beat me up early so I could get on with my life. But it was starting to take a toll on me. I lost weight and there were constant bruises on my body.

Finally Maisy had enough and tried to teach me to defend myself.

"Okay honey, I don't know much about fighting but I'll show you what I know."

She taught me a little self-defense.

"When they come at you like this, block like this then jab him here." She showed me where to hit. "Aim for the chest because you can knock the air out of him. Also the instep right here hurts if you step on it. But remember you're defending yourself so don't start anything unless they do." Maisy tried to teach me everything she knew about self-defense.

"What if there's too many of them?" I asked sniffling.

"Take out the leader." Maisy said.

"What?" I asked.

"Remember when you take out the leader the followers fall away." Maisy told me.

I nodded. I would be ready next time.

The next day I was in the study room. Jiro and his friends came in and locked the door.

"Well, well, what are you doing hafu?" Jiro sneered.

I tried to ignore him but the hair on the back of my neck stood on end and I got ready. His friends surrounded me and he walked over and knocked over the book I was reading.

He grabbed me and threw me off the chair. As I fell though I took hold of his arm and he fell with me. I then quickly got up and stood in the defensive stance that Maisy had shown me. Jiro got up red faced. He wasn't happy. He charged me and I did as Maisy showed me. I blocked his fist and hit him hard in the chest. He fell back gasping for air. I then stomped hard on his foot. Finally, as he hopped around I knocked him out with a punch to the face. Jiro fell like a sack of potatoes. As Maisy had said Jiro's friends fled when they saw their leader beaten. I felt good but it didn't last long.

I learned the following day that Maisy would no longer be coming to see me. The director said that "foreigners" were corrupting me. I protested but to no avail. I had lost the only one who cared about me and who I cared about. I trudged back to my room. I sat on my bed and cried until there was nothing left. During dinner I couldn't eat. Jiro noticed and sneered. I knew he was behind the banned visits.

Later that night when I was in the bathroom Jiro came in. He locked the door.

"So you think you can make me look bad in front of my friends, eh hafu?" He snickered. He pushed me.

"Leave me alone, Jiro. I don't want to hurt you." I could feel a rage building inside of me.

"You? You little nobody. You think you can take me on?" Jiro circled me. I kept my eyes on him, waiting. "I'm going to kill you, hafu." I knew I was in trouble. Jiro was twice as big as me and built like a bull. I was small and wiry. The last fight I had caught him off guard. Now he was ready for me. But oddly enough I didn't care. Losing Maisy made me mad enough to take him on.

Jiro was fast. With one hand he slapped my face hard enough that I fell to the floor. Then he grabbed me by my hair and dragged me over to the toilet. He shoved my head in and held me down as I struggled against him. When I thought I was about to drown, he pulled me up. I gasp for air and coughed out water from my lungs. Jiro laughed as he plunged my head into the water again. I struggled again but by now the rage inside grew until…

He pulled me up and was about to throw me back down but I managed to twist around enough to poke him in the eyes. He howled in pain as he let go of me to rub his eyes. I took the opportunity to hit him in the chest again. He staggered back. He looked at me with bloody eyes. I didn't know I had jabbed him that hard. He came after me. Then I spotted the wooden stool the younger kids use to reach the sink. I grabbed it and swung at him with all my might. It hit his head. I heard a sickening crack and Jiro fell to the floor.

He didn't move and I saw blood coming from under his head.

I thought I killed him. I panicked. What would they do to me?

Immediately, I ran to my bed. I grabbed the little overnight bag Maisy had bought me and shoved whatever possession I had. I made sure no one was around when I snuck out the window in my room and left the orphanage. I went to the only place I knew was safe.

Maisy was shocked to see me at the doorstep of the mission where she lived. She brought me in and gave me a cup of hot coco. I cried my story to her and begged her to let me stay. She didn't say anything but brought me to her bedroom. She told me to get some sleep. I trusted her and fell asleep right away.

The next morning however the police were waiting at the door for me. I looked at Maisy in anger.

"I trusted you! I thought you would keep me safe!" I shouted. I felt betrayed. Maisy had tears in her eyes but I didn't care. "I hate you!"

I still remember the look on her face as they led me back to the orphanage.

When I got back they put me by myself. I was kept locked in room removed from the other children. Apparently, Jiro was not dead but he was in the hospital with a concussion. He told them that I attacked him, which was a lie. I tried to explain but no one was willing to listen. I sat in my closet of a room with nothing but a bed and a small dresser.

They wouldn't let me near the other children after that. I didn't really care since it also meant that Jiro and his friends couldn't reach me. But it was very boring. They didn't even give me any books to read. My meals were sent to my room and I had to eat there. Bathroom breaks were supervised. I spent the next two days just lying on my bed staring at the ceiling. Finally after the 3rd day I decided I had to do something or I'd go insane. I made a schedule for myself to follow so that my day went faster. I did different exercises in the morning including practicing the kicks and punches Maisy taught me and in the afternoon I tried to recite lessons I learned previously. This went on for a month. Then came my chance to escape.

There was a pest problem and the orphanage had to be fumigated. All the children had to be moved to another place. Since I was "dangerous" I was set to move last. As I listened to the chaos of moving dozens of children and their belongings I formulated a plan. That night when they delivered my meal I kept one of the chopsticks. They were disposable so no one noticed the missing pair. Because of the move they had gotten sloppy with the key to the lock. Often they would just leave it in the lock, like they did that night.

When it got quiet, I slid a corner of my bed sheet under the door. I pushed the chopstick through the keyhole. The key fell onto the sheet and I pulled it in. Using the key I unlocked the door. I had nothing to bring since they took everything I had. I crept through the main hall and out the front door. Most of the children had already been moved so there was no security outside anymore. I walked through the courtyard and out the gate. I was determined to never return.

_Maisy stared at the red eyed little boy standing on the doorstep. He ran and clung to her sobbing._

"_What's wrong? " She asked stroking his head._

"_I killed Jiro." He sobbed uncontrollably._

"_What?" Maisy bent down and looked him in the eye. "What do you mean? Never mind. Come in first."_

_She led the still crying child to the kitchen. She gave made him some coco and waited for him to calm down. When he became calmer, she asked him to tell the story again. She grew irate when she heard his story. She said nothing when he asked to stay because she wasn't sure what to do herself. She instead led him to her room and told him to get some sleep. She sat watching him for awhile before leaving to consult her boss. _

_As she expected the director was adamant that the boy be returned to the orphanage. It was not their problem and besides they didn't want to create waves. As it was foreign missionaries were looked upon with suspicion. They didn't need kidnapping charges to be filed against them. So despite Maisy's personal protests and misgivings she called the authorities to let them know that they had their run-away child. When the boy realized what she had done, his anger knew no bounds. _

_Every word he uttered was like a dagger in her heart. When he yelled, "I hate you!" Maisy felt piece of her die. After they left, Maisy went to her room and cried like she never did before. She prayed she did the right thing but somehow she knew it wasn't. She only hoped that he could forgive her and that she would have a chance to make it right. _

Six paused in his story to look at Rebecca. She sat unmoving through most of the story. Her face usually betrayed her emotions but today it was unreadable. When he took a break in his story she said quietly, "It sounds like you had it rough."

He nodded. "I'm not looking for sympathy. I'm just telling you so you know all the facts before making any decisions."

Rebecca looked at him and made a sort of half snort, half laugh sound. "Always the practical one, aren't you?"

Six shrugged. "Do you want me to continue?"

Rebecca looked at her watch. The hour was up. She did say she'd give him only an hour but if he wanted to give her the facts, she briefly though of the old show Dragnet, she might as well let him. But maybe they should go somewhere less dusty.

"Maybe we should continue this in my office?" She suggested.

When Six cocked an eyebrow, she said, "So you're not towering over me and there's less dust."

Six frowned a moment before nodding. Rebecca got up, stretched, and brushed past him to her office.

As Six watched her stretch he had to repress the thoughts that ran through his head. He desperately wanted to hold her but he knew he couldn't. Not until his story's done and she made her choice. Until then he had to content himself with just looking.


	3. Chapter 3

**Still don't own nada.**

**This was a little rushed. I had to do a birthday party for my son. Then my sister went into labor and I had to watch her daughter while she was at the hospital. Sorry if it's a little boring or too dark. Thank you everyone who's reading and reviewing.**

_Hidden in the shadows an unassuming figure surveyed the military base from the tallest building on the base. He clicked on his hi-tech goggles to check the distance of his target. He had easily vaulted over the electrified fence earlier and made his way up this building. Now came the hard part. He timed the movements of the guards on the ground and in the tower. When he was satisfied with all the information he gathered he stealthily moved along the walls being careful to stay in the shadows. Unexpectedly, a truck drove up to the gate of the base and the guards all went to check it out. As the soldiers talked to the man in the truck it drew their attention away. Perfect thought the mercenary. He quickly moved across the ground behind the soldiers' backs while their focus was elsewhere. He made it to the offices. He placed a box on the console on the door and pressed some keys. The LED light on the box lit red then green. The door opened. He walked in and turned on his night vision. He was looking for a specific picture. When he found it he lifted the picture from its hook. Behind it was a door to a safe. The mercenary grinned. Like taking candy from a baby. He put his ear to the door and carefully began spinning the dial. When he heard the three familiar clicks he opened the door. Inside were files that he pulled out along with the cassettes his client wanted. He didn't bother to close the door. He located the airshaft and shot his grappling hook. The barbs caught the grate and he pulled the grate off its hinges. As he leapt into the shaft he threw a package onto the floor of the office. He then made his way out through the air shaft that led to the back of the building. He kicked the grate out at the other end. The back had several dumpsters. Out of one he fished out a duffle bag. He quickly changed into a uniform. As he walked away he pressed a small button. The office exploded into flames. He heard the base come to life as sirens and shouting reached his ears. He calmly walked pass the enemy and out the front gate without a single person noticing or stopping him._

Before going to her office, Rebecca had gone back to her room to freshen up. Then she went to the cafeteria to get a cup of coffee. Finally before coming to her office she had checked on Rex. He was up and feeling gregarious but she had to cut him short. Luckily, Circe and Noah dropped by to see how he was. She wanted to meet Six to hear the rest of his story. As she entered her office he was already there leaning against her cabinets. She looked at him, sighed, and went to her chair. After settling in comfortably, she motioned for Six to sit down. Six pushed himself off the cabinet and grabbed a chair. He pulled it over close, but not too close, and sat down

Rebecca now looked at the agent who was sitting stiffly in a chair across from her. She knew he would prefer standing but she felt a little unnerved when he was leaning against the wall telling tragic details of his life as if he was discussing the weather.

She took a sip of her coffee and nodded to him that she was ready. Six was uncomfortable sitting across from her. But he knew it was no longer his call to make. He had to make sure she was comfortable. He tried hard not to fiddle with his tie. If he pushed it any higher he would strangle himself.

Six continued.

I wandered the streets of Futenma for a few days. I found food in trash cans and dumpsters. I avoided people because I was afraid if I was caught they would send me back to the orphanage. Finally, I decided that if I head away from the city I could try living off the land and avoid detection. I managed to make it a few miles out of the city but when night fell I needed to find a place to sleep. I found an outcropping on the side of a hill. I made a bed of leaves and promptly fell asleep. A few hours later I was woken up by an explosion. I hid in my hole in the wall as I listened to the commotion around me. A dark figure floated past my hiding spot. He stopped a few feet and began shedding his outer clothes. When he was done he was dressed in dark fatigues. He walked over to a tree and pulled a katana from the hollow of the trunk. He abruptly stopped and went still. He seemed to be listening for something. I held my breath. After a minute, he slung a bag over his shoulder and started moving away. When I was sure he was gone I moved from my spot. Curious I tried to follow the figure's path. I was amazed at how easily he was able to blend into the shadows. I wanted to be able to do that so I can hide from the world. I had no real plan other than to find this mysterious figure so he could teach me to disappear from the world.

Unfortunately, I encountered American soldiers instead.

"Hey, George.! I found a Japanese kid. "A man had grabbed me by my collar and held me fast.

"Well, bring him here!" The soldier half dragged, half carried me over to George.

George glared at me and asked, "What are you doing here?"

I pretended I didn't speak English and answered him in Japanese. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Ah, great! Someone get a translator!" George yelled to some men.

I started to panic. If they find out I'm a run away they would take me back to the orphanage. The soldiers were looking for the stranger I was trying to follow. But I wasn't about to give up what I know. As we waited I watched the soldiers search every nook and cranny of the forest. They took me over to a jeep and sat me down. I looked for a way to escape. After waiting for almost an hour, a translator drove up in a jeep. He got out and walked over to George. He was a middle aged Japanese man wearing glasses and had a paunch. When he was finished talking with George he came over to me.

The man looked at me and asked, "Did you see anyone pass through here?"

I tried to look innocent as I replied, "No sir. I was asleep."

"What are you doing here?" The translator asked another question.

"I was out with my family and I got lost." I lied.

The translator told the soldiers what I had told them.

George eyed me suspiciously, "Something isn't right here." He growled. "Bring him with us back to base."

I thought I was doomed but surprisingly the translator helped me out.

"If the boy's family finds out you took him there may be another incident. You can't afford the bad publicity right now."

George scowled. "Well, then let's take him with us until we find his family."

"No," The translator said firmly. "We need to find his family now."

George sighed, "Fine but once we find his parents we need to have a talk with him about anything he's seen."

The translator took me along with two soldiers. The soldiers escorted us to a jeep. The translator and I sat in the back while the two soldiers took the front seats.

"Where to?" The driver asked.

The translator turned to me and asked. I looked around to buy some time but the translator didn't wait for me to answer. He pointed the soldiers to a path through the forest. As they drove further down the dirt path it got narrower and narrower.

The soldiers started to get nervous. "Are you sure we're going the right way?" The driver asked again.

To my surprise the translator suddenly grabbed each soldier by the neck. Electricity shot out of the translator's hand and each soldier fell unconscious. The jeep lurched to a stop.

The translator got out of the jeep and to my surprise pulled off his face. Underneath the mask hid a man of mixed decent. His black hair had a touch of gray and his brown eyes had a steely gaze. He stared at me as I unflinchingly looked at him. He shrugged off his jacket and from his back he pulled out a sword. I knew immediately who he was.

"You're the one who disappeared into the darkness. " I blurted out in English.

He looked at me expressionless but held the sword under my chin.

"So you do speak English as well as Japanese. What do you know boy?" He asked.

"I saw you walk past where I was sleeping. You got rid of your clothes and then got this sword from the tree." There was no point in lying to him. It seemed he already knew.

"Why didn't you tell the soldiers that?" he asked evenly.

"Why would I?" I asked curious where the conversation was leading. I don't know why I wasn't afraid. But for some reason I knew if he hadn't killed me yet there must be a reason.

The man turned his sword so that the flat part was under my chin. He used it to lift my head so that our eyes met. He stared at me for a while before he pronounced.

"You have no fear but are extremely naïve. Your eyes give away everything. It will get you killed someday."

"Can I please stay with you?" I asked ignoring his comment.

"Where's your family?"

"I have none. I was abandoned as a child."

"You have no one?"

I briefly thought of Maisy but quickly answered, "No one, sir."

"What's your name?"

"I have none."

"What? So what did they call you?"

"None, I'm willing to answer to anymore, sir."

He looked at me. I couldn't tell what he was thinking but seemed to be mulling over something. Then he nodded.

"I was going to kill you but I may have some use for you. But…" He looked sternly at me. "You must do exactly what I say or you will die. Do you understand?"

I nodded eagerly. I had nothing to lose.

He put his sword away and motioned me to follow. He was fast and I had a hard time keeping up. I was weak from hunger and lack of sleep. I stumbled and fell a few times but I was careful not to complain. My eyes never left his form. After what seemed like an eternity we reached a cave. I had not noticed where we were going. I was watching him so intently that I did not pay any attention to my surroundings. Once inside the man pulled a camouflaged blanket off of an ATV. He got on and told me to get on in the back. I cautiously got on but before I could even get settled he sped off. I almost fell off but I had the presence of mind to grab onto the sidebars to balance myself. As we careened through the woods I managed to right myself and sit in a proper position.

As I grew accustomed to the vehicle I grew sleepy from the monotonous drone of the engines and the endless path of trees. Just as I was about to doze off we suddenly stopped. The momentum propelled me against the man. He turned to glare at me and I quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, sir."

His face softened for a moment before growing hard again. He pointed me to some shrubbery. For the first time I noticed my surroundings. It was an abandoned Shinto temple. There were still statues and a small shrine was covered with cracks and vines.

I went to hide in the shrubs behind a broken statue. The man walked over and handed me his bag.

"Whatever happens **do** **not** let this bag out of your hands or sight. Do you understand?"

I nodded.

I nodded again. I clung to the bag as if my life depended on it and it may well have.

When the man was satisfied he left and went to stand by the shrine.

A few minutes later a black car pulled up the clearing. Hidden in the bushes and vines I could observe without being seen. Several men wearing business suits stepped out of the car. They approached the man. They spoke a language I had never heard before. At first there seemed to be the usual pleasantries. An envelope was handed to the man. He opened it and rummaged through the contents. It must not be what he wanted because he tossed it back e man in the suit. Words were exchanged. I could see that some of the men started to get antsy. Some started to push open their jackets. On one of them I saw a gun holster. This whole time the stranger kept the same demeanor. He never raised his voice and he stood unmoving. He stood in stark contrast to the men who was shuffling their feet and fiddling with their jackets. Suddenly, the one who I saw with a gun pulled out his piece. Without thinking I yelled out a warning. I never saw anyone move so fast. Within seconds all the men save one was dead. The stranger grabbed the man he spared said something to him. He threw him to the ground and the frightened man ran to the car and drove away. When he was gone he motioned for me to come out.

"Good eye. Thanks."

"What happened?" I asked looking uneasily at the bodies on the ground.

"They'll be coming after me and that bag you are holding." He replied getting on his vehicle. "Get on." He commanded. Without hesitation I climbed on behind him. We took off into the night.

I was surprised several hours later that we were in the city. I was trying to get out of the city not go back but I wanted to be with this stranger who seemed to be indestructible. He was everything I wasn't… strong, confident, the master of his own destiny. I wanted those things. I was tired of being powerless.

We checked into a hotel. He signed us in as father and son. I looked at him. I guess he could pass for my father. I played along holding his hand as we walked into our room.

When we were inside he became all business. He took the bag from me and emptied it. I sat on one of the beds and watched him. He took the files and began taking pictures of it. Next he took the cassettes and placed it in a double player. He seemed to be making copies. I didn't say a word. Finally after all the papers had been photographed and the cassettes dubbed he looked at me.

"I suppose you're wondering what I'm doing?" He asked.

I merely shrugged. "It is your business." I answered. He seemed pleased by my reply.

"You have a good head on your shoulders. It's always better not to be curious. Kills the cat and all."

I didn't say anything I just waited for him to tell me in his time or not at all.

The man sat across from me.

"You hungry?" He looked at me. My stomach growled and I turned red. He laughed and took a candy bar out of the bag and tossed it to me. I ripped the wrapper open and finished it in three bites. He looked amused and threw me another one. I devoured it just as quickly.

"What should I call you?" He asked me when I was done.

"Whatever you want." I answered.

"I suppose I can call you Hiko." He looked at me.

I shrugged again. "Fine by me."

He sighed. "Listen Hiko, that man I let go will tell his boss about what I did and they will come after me."

I sat there listening still not saying a word.

"You will be in danger. Do you still want to stay with me?"

I nodded. If he was offering I was willing to go with him. There was nothing here for me.

He stared at me in silence for a moment.

"Those men worked for one of the most notorious dealer in highly sensitive information…" He stopped when he realized he was talking to a 10 year old. The puzzled look on my face stopped him. "He sells secrets to whoever will give him the most money."

That I understood.

"I have in my bag some very important information many people would kill for. I was paid to get them this. "

I waited for him to go on.

"They however did not live up to their agreement. I was not paid the amount I was promised. I had a feeling they would welch on the deal. I brought you along to be an extra set of hands and eyes."

"Can you teach me to do the things you do?" I asked innocently.

I saw his eyes cloud over for a moment. "Maybe," he said. "Let's get some rest. It will be an interesting day tomorrow."

I was dying to ask but held my tongue. But he must have seen the question in my eyes.

"We will leave Japan for my home. It won't be easy since those men would most likely be looking for me. But they won't be looking for you." He lay down on his bed and turned off his light. "Don't worry, Hiko. I'll give you the details tomorrow."

"Good night, sir." I said respectfully before turning off my light.

"If you are to stay with me, you are to address me as Master." He said from his bed.

I understood. "Yes, sir… I mean yes, Master." He didn't answer but I heard his even breathing as he fell asleep.

I fell into a comfortable sleep for the first time in a long time.

The next day when I woke up I was surprised to find an old man sitting on the bed next to me. I must have looked shocked because he laughed and as soon as I heard it I knew who he was.

"Like my little disguise, Hiko?" He asked amused. "Put on these."

He tossed me some new clothes. "I am your grandfather. I have a touch of dementia and you are taking me to see our family in Tokyo."

I nodded as I put on my new clothes. I wasn't sure how he knew my size but everything fit perfectly. As we finished getting ready, he explained the rest of the plan and made me repeat it to him to make sure I understood everything. When he was satisfied that I knew what to do we left the room and headed for the airport. I held his hand as my Master changed from a vibrant strong man into a feeble old one. He used a wooden cane to hobble forward. I hailed a taxi for us and told the driver to head for Naha Airport. As the taxi pulled into the airport I realized why my Master needed me. The airport also housed the American's air base. American soldiers were everywhere.

I started to grow nervous but tried to hide it. My master must have sensed it as he gave my hand a squeeze. I walked up to the airline counter like we planned and bought two tickets to Tokyo. The person didn't even ask why a 10 year old was purchasing tickets. She just handed me two tickets and I gave her the money. My "grandfather" and I checked one luggage and made our way to the terminal to wait for take-off. We didn't have to wait long to board the plane. Once we found and sat in our seats I relaxed as did my Master. As I looked around the plane, I had never been on one before, I suddenly recognized someone walking down the aisle. I froze. My Master must have noticed something because he quietly hissed in my ear, "What?"

I had spotted Maisy. What was she doing here?

I whispered, "I see someone who knows me."

I heard my Master curse under his breath. "Who is it?"

I pointed to the pretty blond lady coming closer. Luckily, she found her seat a few rows in front of us.

My master frowned. He seemed to be calculating the risk.

He whispered to me, "Put on the cap I bought you and pull it over your eyes. Don't look up. It's about a three hour flight. Hopefully, she won't notice. We'll stay in back of her when we get off.

I immediately donned the cap and pulled it as far down my face as it would go without blinding me. Inside I was conflicted. I was angry at Maisy at first when she sent me back to the orphanage but when the anger went away all I felt was guilt. Maisy was the only one who ever cared about me and I told her I hated her. Why was she here? Did she know I ran away? I had so many questions but I was on my way to a different life. I had to leave Maisy behind as well.

Three hours passed very slowly when you are 10 years old and in danger of being discovered. Every time someone passed by to go to the bathroom I sunk deeper into my seat hoping to be one with the cushions. When the stewardess asked me what drink I wanted I didn't dare speak. I just pointed. Once Maisy got up and passed by me. I could have sworn she did a double take but I buried my face in the magazine willing her to walk away. Finally, the plane landed. My Master and I waited as the other passengers left. I peeked around the corner of the chair to see Maisy taking her carry on bag down from above her seat and walk toward the front of the plane. She never looked back and I didn't breath until I saw her leave the plane. When the last of the passengers disembarked, my Master and I made our way out as well. When we reached the terminal, I quickly scanned the area to make sure Maisy wasn't around. My Master was doing the same thing. I didn't see her but I wasn't sure because the cap was still pulled low over my eyes. We walked quickly to get our checked bag and leave the terminal. As we made our way out of Tokyo International Airport I thought we were in the clear. But as we walked out of the airport doors my Master suddenly pushed me out of the way. I landed in some luggage near-by and heard gun fire. When I looked up I saw some men in business suits with pistols firing at my Master. He had pulled his sword out of the checked bag and was deflecting the bullets. I was in awe. I wanted to do that someday. But as a long menacing shadow passed in front of me I saw one of the men point his gun at me, I thought I might not make it to someday.

_The mercenary pulled off his soldier costume in the dark and retrieved his sword from where he hid it earlier. He stopped and listened. He thought he heard something but when he couldn't hear anything he grabbed his bag and got ready to leave. Unfortunately, he couldn't shake the feeling he was being watched. He quickly and fluidly moved away but not too far. Then he waited. Sure enough he saw someone try to follow him. He pulled his katana out to dispatch him. When the person came closer he paused. It was just a little boy. Usually he had no problems killing anyone be it man, woman, or child. There was something about him however that made him stop. Something familiar like a long ago forgotten memory of cherry blossoms in the Spring gave him pause. His moment's hesitation, however, saved him from the American soldiers who seemed to materialize before the boy and grab him. The mercenary realized that he had to make sure the boy hadn't seen anything that would give him away. _

_The man listened as one of the soldier called for a translator. It gave him an idea. He swiftly and silently moved through the woods toward the direction of the base. He dug through his bag and slipped on another disguise. It was risky but he had to chance it. He waited in the trees overlooking the base. As a soldier escorting the translator left the base in the jeep they drove by the mercenary's tree. He jumped onto the back seat and immediately dispatched them. He disposed of their bodies and drove himself to the where the soldiers and boy were. He walked over to George and told him he was the translator. They went to talk to the boy. When the boy denied knowing about him, the mercenary grew curious about him. So he wanted to get the boy away from the soldiers. They were so worried about their image in the eyes of their host country that it was easy to convince them that they needed to find the boy's family. When they were far enough away from the rest of the group he took care of their escorts. He questioned the boy to see what he really knew. The mercenary wondered why he hadn't killed him yet. But after hearing he was an orphan with no one he formulated a new plan. He did not trust his current client who had a history of double-crossing his hires. He could use the boy either as a help or a scapegoat. As the night wore on the mercenary found himself admiring this little hiko especially when he was able to warn him about the gun. The boy knew when to talk and when to keep his mouth shut. His only problem was his eyes betrayed him. But he could fix that. The problem he realized was that it meant that he was about to take on another student. He already had one who was a handful. Yet he couldn't bring himself to abandon the boy._

_The boy was useful when he got to the airport. But then a snag arose. Someone who could potentially recognize the boy and blow their cover. In the back of his mind he felt he should be more annoyed at the boy but oddly enough he wasn't. He just had the boy lay low. A job he did admirably. The real problem came when they exited the airport. He immediately spotted his client. How the client knew who he was was a matter for him to ponder later. Right now he threw the boy to the side and defended himself. _

_"Think you can get away from us so easily." The man sneered in Russian. "You don't think we wouldn't have a way to find you."_

_The mercenary didn't answer but gripped his katana tighter and blocked the gunshots. He then charged the thugs. The showdown began._


	4. Chapter 4

**Don't own anything. I apologize to anyone from Japan if I'm describing areas wrong. I have never been to Japan. Well, I was once in Tokyo International Airport during a layover to China but I didn't go anywhere. What little I know are from travel shows.**

**Honestly, I should be grading papers but I decided to finish this. The grades were depressing me.**

_Maisy looked around her room to make sure she hadn't left anything. After being satisfied she pulled her carry-on and left. She didn't bother saying good-bye to her director. They were parting on a sour note anyway. She saw the housekeeper. _

"_Good-bye, I'll miss you." She said hugging the small woman._

_The housekeeper misty eyed, pronounced a blessing," May God give you success on your mission." _

_Maisy smiled. It took ten years but she finally earned the trust of the people she was working with… except for the director. He forbade her to go look for her boy. It was then she realized that she can no longer in good conscience listen to him anymore. Not in regards to the boy anyway. She sent in her resignation, packed her bag, and bought a ticket to Tokyo. The people told her that the best detectives were in Tokyo and if she wanted to find the boy she needed to go hire one of them. So she withdrew her life savings, bought a one-way ticket to Tokyo, and headed to the airport. It was already a long shot. The police here were too busy with an incident at the American base to worry about one run-away. Taking a taxi to the airport and getting into the terminal was uneventful. But when she got on her plane, she had a nagging feeling someone was watching her. She, however, couldn't see who it was. During the flight she went to the back of the plane to go to the bathroom and noticed someone who looked like her boy. She looked again but he had his face buried in a magazine, although she found it strange that he was holding it upside down. She dismissed it and assumed that she was just seeing things. Finally, the plane landed. She hurriedly got off so she can get the search underway. As she was about to hail a taxi out of the corner of her eye she saw the boy again. This time his face wasn't entirely covered. Despite the cap Maisy could tell it was him. She started to run over when the elderly man he was with pushed him aside. Out came a sword as men in business suits began shooting. The "old" man who no longer looked old blocked each bullet with ease. Maisy froze. She was beyond confused and truth be told a little scared, especially when she saw one of the men approach her boy with his gun aimed straight at him. _

Six looked to see if Rebecca was still listening. Judging by how wide her eyes were, he knew he still had her attention. He resumed his story.

I thought it was over but the gunman was suddenly taken down by a flying suitcase. The carry-on caught him on the side of his head.

"Don't touch my boy!" screamed Maisy.

I looked up in surprise at the sound of her voice. She grabbed me and hauled me up by my arm. She was surprisingly strong for someone so petite. She dragged me and her suitcase down the block away from the shootout. I let her tow me about ten feet before I had the presence of mind to plant my feet to stop her.

"I can't leave my master!" I insisted.

"What? Who?" Maisy looked at me incredulously.

"Please," I begged her nodding my head back to the fight. "We have to help him."

Maisy paused a moment and seemed to be going through an internal struggle. She looked around and spotted a man getting out of a Cadillac Eldorado to see what was going on. Maisy opened the passenger door and slid in to the driver's side. I got in the back seat with her carry-on. She slammed the driver's side door and drove off before the man even knew what was happening. We heard cursing in Japanese. Maisy drove straight at the gunmen scattering them. She slowed down but never fully stopped.

"Get in!" She yelled to my Master.

My Master yanked open the passenger side door and dove in as Maisy peeled out of the terminal. The gunmen opened fire on us.

"Stay down!" Maisy growled at us.

My master looked at me. "Who's this?"

"It's complicated. But I asked her to help us." I replied.

"Hey, I'm the one who should be asking the questions." Maisy said as she began driving normally. Just when she did, a shot hit the back window shattering it. I looked back. Three black sedans were giving chase.

"Sugar!" Maisy sped up again. She began weaving in and out of traffic. "Sweetie, you better put on your seat belt and keep your head low." Maisy was embarrassing me as she added, "Did any of the glass hit you? Are you okay?"

My master cocked an eyebrow at me and I turned bright red.

"Look, I don't know what he told you." Maisy noticed the interchange and was addressing my Master, "But he belongs with me."

"You sent me back to the orphanage." I reminded her.

I saw Maisy cringe and I regretted it immediately.

"That was a mistake." She said. "I promise you, I'll never let anyone take you away again."

Something warm started in my chest and spread through me as I let her words sink in. Another shot rang out as we all ducked.

My Master cleared his throat, "That's … nice… but the fact of the matter is there are people trying to kill us."

"Trying to lose them. It would help if I knew where I was going." Maisy glared at the mercenary.

My Master caught the hint. "Get off at the next exit then follow the signs to the bridge."

Maisy nodded and floored it. Shots still rang out. My Master pulled his bag open and took out a gun. He leaned out the window and fired one shot. There was a squeal of brakes as the car careened out of control and crashed into the other car giving chase.

Luckily, there were no other cars on the road anymore. Drivers were wise enough to give us a wide berth. But there was one more car to lose. Master fired a few more times but the car dodged each one. Eventually, the gun ran out of ammo. My master threw it at the car in frustration. Maisy exited and was driving towards the bridge.

"Umm, I don't mean to be a killjoy but we're heading for a draw bridge." Maisy interrupted.

"I know, "My Master answered her rummaging through the bag for another weapon.

"It's open." She said.

"What?" My Master looked up and cursed.

"Hey, watch your language. There's a minor in here." Maisy said not taking her eyes off the road.

My Master blinked at her.

"I got an idea. " Maisy said as she pressed the accelerator.

"What are you doing?" My Master asked as we were thrown back.

"Works in the movies." Maisy answered.

My Master's eyes grew big as he realized what she was about to do. We braced ourselves.

Maisy crashed through the wooden arm as the bridge operator yelled.

The car drove up the incline and flew off the edge, never once slowing down. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as we flew over the gap between the bridges. Then we landed on the other side with a hard thud the back wheel just making it. Maisy kept driving as if nothing happened. I looked back. The car that was following us wasn't so lucky. The man must have chickened out the last second because the car was now hanging off the edge on the other side.

"What do you know," Maisy said cheerfully, "It worked."

My Master just looked at her stunned. I was trying to get my heart out of my throat.

"Where to now?" She asked.

My Master shook his head as if to clear it. He gave her directions and eventually we made it to the dilapidated side of town. My Master led us down a dead end alley way of some abandoned buildings. But as we drove down the darkened pathway the wall at the end slid open revealing a secret area.

Maisy drove in as the wall slid closed. Once inside lights automatically turned on. We stepped out of the car. Maisy eyed my Master suspiciously.

"Okay now what?" She asked.

"Well, I can kill you." He deadpanned.

I must have had a panicked look on my face when my Master turned to me, "I'm just kidding… maybe."

Maisy snorted, "I'm not scared."

My Master returned, "Well, you should be. I am the most dangerous man on the planet." He calmly walked over to a computer console.

"I'm sure you are. But that means little to me. "

My Master turned to study Maisy. He nodded, "I can tell. It's not everyday I have someone telling me what to do."

"Well, if it's all the same to you. I'll be taking my boy and leaving you to go… do whatever you usually do."

"It's not that easy. They've seen you now and probably will be after you too."

Maisy rolled her eyes and sighed. "Why are things never easy?" She said to no one in particular. She looked at him, "So what do we do to get them off our backs?"

"Kill them." He answered nonchalantly.

"You mean you're going to kill them. You don't expect me or him to do it?"

"You mean you're not outraged by the solution?"

"Well, it is your profession. I don't judge. However, you can't expect us to be apart of it."

"I'm not going with you. I asked to go with him." I heard my voice squeak out to Maisy.

Maisy's eyes clouded over. She knelt before me. "Sweetie, you're just a little boy. You can't mean to go with…" Maisy was at a loss for a word. "This gentleman. I'm pretty sure he's not use to raising children."

"I'm not. " My Master admitted, "But I train students."

"To do what? I'm pretty sure it's not in etiquette." Maisy glared at him.

"Well, I do teach some of that. You do need to mind your manners when trying to infiltrate… certain functions."

Maisy stared at him for a second before turning to me, "I'm pretty sure he's a killer, probably cold-blooded, and I don't want you to live that kind of life." She was no longer trying to be polite.

My Master shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me but I do believe the decision belongs to him."

"He's just a boy! He doesn't understand the ramifications of this decision!" Maisy turned her ire at him.

My Master turned to me and asked me, "Hiko, do you understand that if you go with me I will train you till you drop, your bones will ache, your body will be in pain, and you will most likely be hurt. When you grow up you will go to anyplace they ask you for money. You will sometimes perform odious tasks. But you will lead your own life, you won't answer to anyone, and you will have the fear and respect of everyone."

"Except me. Because what is that cost to your soul?" Maisy said quietly.

I looked between the two of them. I was torn. On the one hand, I wanted most of the things my Master had said. The other part wanted to go with Maisy. But I also knew Maisy was a law abiding person. She would not live outside the laws and there was no way the government would ever see fit to let Maisy raise me. I would be back at the orphanage.

Before I could answer we heard gunfire outside the building.

"How?" My Master ran to the security cameras. He turned them on and saw the men outside the building. Since they didn't know which one we were in they were searching each one. A hapless person probably got in their way. He turned and scowled. He ran to the car and pulled out his bag. He pulled everything out and searched through each item carefully. When not finding anything, he ran to a desk and pulled out a strange looking device with an antenna attached. He passed the device over the bag and its items. When the machine started beeping he muttered something inaudible under his breath. I guess he was being mindful of me like Maisy asked. He pulled the cassettes out.

" This is coated with a slightly radioactive substance. That's how they were able to trace us."

Instead of being frightened like I expected her to be, Maisy frowned. "Can we get rid of those things then?"

"I made copies but I wanted to keep the original. Still…" He grabbed the cassettes and threw them down a chute.

"This should buy us some time."

He grabbed a gun and tossed it to Maisy. Maisy caught it. "Can you use that?"

Maisy nodded. "I grew up in Montana. We like to hunt."

"Good, take the boy and get out of here. I'll buy some time." My Master pressed a button and a wall slip open to reveal a set of stairs leading up.

"This leads to the roof. It's connected to the building next door. You can get out that way."

"Master, I won't leave you." I said adamantly.

He had a faint smile. "Hiko, you won't be any use. You are not trained to fight and will only get in the way. Maybe when we meet again…" He left the last part unsaid.

Maisy pulled two things from her carry-on and shoved them into her jacket pocket. She then grabbed me and pushed me toward the stairs. She looked back briefly at my Master and said, "Be careful." Then we ran up the stairs.

The stairs were steep and seemed to go one forever. When we finally reached the top we were both out of breath. Maisy pushed the roof door open and stepped out. After checking to see if the coast was clear we made our way to the adjacent building. We heard gunfire and shouting from below.

"He'll be okay. " Maisy said reassuringly. I nodded not feeling as confident as her. Maisy walked across some boards that connected the two buildings together. As I was walking across an explosion shook both buildings and I loss my balance. Maisy grabbed my shirt and pulled me up. She grabbed me in a tight hug. "Don't ever do that again." She admonished me. I wondered how I was to avoid doing that again and if I ever would have to do that again. Maisy and I walked over to the edge of the building. We peered down. It was relatively quiet compared to the noises coming from the other side. We climbed down the annulated drainage pipe and made it to the ground. Maisy was on the ground first. I was slower and clumsier in my movements and my pants kept getting caught on the sharp corners. When I finally made it down we had lost precious time. Maisy grabbed my hand and we started running down a different alley way in the direction opposite the noise. I was tired and had a hard time running. My legs felt like molasses and Maisy was almost dragging me.

Suddenly bullets shot across our path. Apparently, one of the men was on the other side as well. Maisy grabbed me and threw me behind some dumpsters. She returned fire.

She must have had good aim because the firing stopped. She picked me up and dragged me again. I stumbled and fell. Maisy picked me up and told me to get on her back. I felt foolish getting a piggy-back ride. But I really couldn't run anymore. She made it to the main street. It was getting dark and the last streaks of light were filtering through the buildings. Maisy put me down and went to see if she could find us transportation out of the area. Another explosion rocked the building and the streets. The condemned building I was standing next to shook and started to come down on me. I froze unable to move a limb no matter how much my brain screamed to go. Just before I was crushed, Maisy grabbed me and swung me like a discus out of the way. I must have flown several feet and hit my head on something because I blacked out.

When I came to, I saw my Master bent over something. I got up rather shakily and stumbled over to see what it was. To my horror it was Maisy. She hadn't been able to get out of the way of the falling building. She was still conscious and smiled when she saw me. I must have started crying because she made soothing noises, "Shhh, it's okay. Everything's going to be okay." Her hand reached out to touch the side of my face. "I love you." Then her hand fell. I grabbed it and held it to my face willing her move but no matter how much I wished, she was never going to move again. My Master reached out and closed her still open eyes. He got up and started to walk away.

After he took a few steps, he turned around, "You coming, Hiko?"

I dropped her hand and got up but I no longer felt like I was in my body. Someone else now walked in it. When Maisy died, part of me also did.

_The mercenary was confounded. The boy said he was alone but here was this blond lady risking her life to save his just because the boy had asked her to. He looked at the boy who looked beyond embarrass, a blush adorning his usually pale face. On top of that this woman was not afraid of him. Well, he suppose he had to make the best of things. If she was willing to get him out of this tight jam who was he to stop her. So he gave her directions and proceeded to take care of the cars giving chase. He managed to take out two of them but the third one had a skilled driver. He was unable to stop it before he ran out of bullets. As he was looking for another weapon, the woman informed him that the draw bridge was raised. He was not counting on that. He also was not counting on her correcting his language or being crazy enough to try to jump the open bridge. The fact that they had survived it made her an even bigger enigma. This strange woman was definitely someone he wanted to learn more about. _

_Back at his safe house he realized she wanted to take his newest student away. Although he was not really attached to him, he did suddenly feel competitive. He wanted the boy to choose him, not that he really wanted to take the time to raise a child which is what he'd essentially be doing. Before the boy could choose, however, those men showed up. He cursed his stupidity, albeit under his breath since he didn't want to upset the blond, when he realized that the cassettes were tagged. No wonder those men found him so easily. Probably the only reason the Americans hadn't tracked him yet was because they were still reeling from the chaos he caused at their base._

_He wasn't sure why he cared for their safety but he tossed a gun to the blond and told her how to get herself and the boy out of there. He would deal with the consequences of his mistake. He was touched when the boy refused to leave but honestly, what could he do? The mercenary was surprised by his sudden sentimentality. It was not like him at all. Maybe he was getting old. He was even more surprised that when Maisy told him to be careful that he almost blushed. Why on earth would he care what she said? It was all very confusing not to mention he now had to go deal with some of the world's deadliest scums of the earth. He quickly pushed away any distracting thought and proceeded to get the necessary equipment to deal with his current problem._

_Using another secret entrance he managed to sneak up behind the men. They were distracted when they found the cassettes that he threw down the chute. He easily took out several before they even realized he was there. Then the gun fire started. He easily took care of the bullets. When one of them launched a shoulder held missile at him, a little overkill admittedly, he bent backwards low as the missile passed over him. He managed to grab it and send it back at them. The men scattered and the missile hit the building. The surrounding buildings shook and loose building pieces rained down on the thugs. The mercenary took advantage of the distraction and took out a few more men with his katana. The thugs started to panic. They had never before come upon someone as formidable as him. He looked unstoppable. Because of that some started to over react. One of them started to fire indiscriminately. He actually helped the mercenary by cutting down some of his own men. But the bullets didn't stop the mercenary as he made his way to the hapless idiot. In a few seconds the gangster was soaked in his own blood. Unfortunately, one of his stray bullets had hit the gas tank of one of the cars. A fire had somehow started and was quickly spreading. The mercenary knew what would happen if the fire reached the pool of gas forming underneath the car. He immediately cut down a few more men in his bid to clear out of the area. As he had expected there was a great explosion. What he had not expected was that the explosion would bring down a nearby building. The explosion took care of the rest of the thugs. Any remaining men quickly gave up and fled. But he was filled with a sense of foreboding rather than relief. His instincts told him he had better check out the ruins of the fallen building._

_A feeling of dread filled him when he saw the boy lying a few feet away from the debris and the woman was no where to be seen… until he passed by the rubble. He saw a piece of her jacket sticking out between two large pieces of concrete. He shoved the pieces out of the way. She was lying in the ruins barely breathing. He gently lifted her up. She opened her eyes and looked at him. He felt his breath catch. _

"_Promise me... promise me, you'll take care of him." Her voice was barely above a whisper. She fumbled in her jacket pocket and placed in his hands a leather-bound notebook and an envelope. "Please give this to him." She looked at him with passionate eyes, body tense. "Promise me."_

_For some reason the hardened mercenary nodded and answered softly, "I promise."_

_She relaxed and he could tell from years of experience that she was not long for this world. He breath became more shallow and ragged. Suddenly, the boy appeared at his elbow. He had not wanted the boy to see her but it was too late. He collapsed next to her, sobs rising from his chest. He watched her try to comfort him, lightly touching his face as he wept over her. Then the inevitable happened. Her hand slipped down and the light left her eyes. He reached out to close those lifeless lids, a sign of respect. She looked peaceful as if she was asleep. He got up and started back to the safe house. He turned to the boy to urge him to come with him. The boy automatically got up. When the Master saw his eyes his chest tightened. Those were no longer the eyes of a little naïve boy. Those were the eyes of a potential killer, soulless and full of rage._

Holiday stared at Six's back. Somewhere in the middle of the story he had gotten up and was leaning on the file cabinets on one arm with his back facing her. His voice was still emotionless but he wouldn't look at her. She realized how painful this was for him. He had never spoken about Maisy before and now she knew why. Her death affected him more than anything else in his life. Rebecca swallowed and took a deep breath before saying, "I'm sorry."

Six merely acknowledge her by nodding. He didn't trust his voice at the moment. It wouldn't do for her to see him break. He was not trying to elicit pity. He was just trying to give her a glimpse of what made him the way he was and what was about to come. When he finally gained enough control. He turned to face Rebecca.

"That's only the beginning."

Rebecca nodded, "I figured."

"Do you want me to continue?"

"Please do."

Now came the hard part, what part to tell her and what part had to be left out for the sake of her safety.


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own any of the characters. **

_The mercenary wondered what he had gotten himself into. He glanced at the sullen boy. They were currently flying over the ocean on their way home to his island. He was going to give the boy Maisy's journal but he decided he needed it more. He never could let go of a puzzle and Maisy was the biggest enigma he had ever encountered. Why did she help him? Why did she care so much for this boy? Why had she thrown her life away so easily? After reading through the notebook he still wasn't clear what made her tick. He found more of her journals in her carry-on and took them along. He was going to crack this, he thought. Meanwhile he's going to have to raise this kid because he promised her. That's another thing. Why did he go and do a stupid thing like that? He was just going to use the boy and dump him the first chance he got. But now being somewhat a man of his word he would have to take care of this boy. Well, that wasn't totally true. The boy was starting to grow on him. He had potential. He would be a better student than the one he had now who was so full of himself. Maybe the boy can teach his current student a thing or two. _

_They had spent a few more days in Tokyo tying up loose ends. He managed to keep the fight a secret by making the damage look like a gas explosion. Maisy's death was ruled an accident. Her body was flown home to Montana. The boy was there to see the plane off but there were no tears. Although he was glad it was drama free, there was something unnatural about the boy's expressionless face. Only his eyes showed the anguish and pain he felt._

_The last thing he had to do was to get compensated for his trouble. That, fortunately, worked out nicely. He made it look like he had "rescued" the information. They were grateful not to have their secrets outed. The payoff was not as big as he would have liked but it did cover the cost of the trip. Then there was Maisy's envelope. When he opened it, the envelope was filled with cashier checks. It was a sizable sum but he was use to dealing with larger amounts. Plus it belonged to the boy. She was very clear that it was to go to him. The mercenary wondered when it was a good time to give it to him. What would a little boy do with that much money anyway? So in the meantime he decided to hold the money until the boy was older. He was thinking about where to invest the money when he spotted his home in the distance._

"_Get ready, Hiko. We're almost home." He addressed the boy._

_The boy perked up and looked out the window. He saw a rocky island with very little vegetation and an active volcano in the center. His new home, his new life._

Six paced around a bit before he settled back in the chair. Rebecca remained silent allowing him time to gather his thoughts. She was starting to understand why he was the way he was but wondered if he could ever let go of that to have a future. Maybe a future that included her. She knew now why when she was hurt, he hadn't bothered to stay to see her in the hospital. It reminded him too much of what happened to Maisy when he had been helpless to stop the events. Although Six didn't say it, she knew that he blamed himself for her death. So she waited. Six sat bent with his elbows on his knees, hands clasped together. Finally, he straightened up and continued with his narrative.

When I arrived on the island with my Master, he immediately began training me. I was surprised to learn that Master's other student was someone not even close to my age. He was at least 30 years old and already a skilled assassin with more than a few missions under his belt. He was less than enthused to meet me. But he was either too polite or too scared of our Master to say anything. But during training he was especially hard on me.

"Chico, you're going to get yourself killed if you can't even stop me from landing one little hit on your head." The Spaniard said disdainfully.

I was already lying prone on the floor breathing heavily a knot growing where he had landed the blow. I growled and lunged at him. A stupid rookie move as he back handed me across my face. I fell down again. I tried to get up but was greeted by a sword to my throat.

"Pathetic." He glowered as he put his sword away.

My Master came behind him, "He still has a lot to learn. Don't discount him so quickly."

The Spaniard snorted and stalked off.

My Master offered me a hand. I took it and he pulled me up. My head hung low.

"I failed again." I mumbled.

"Failure is the first step to success." My Master said as he walked me out of the training room.

I looked at him. He shrugged. "I heard it somewhere. But there are things that you can do to help yourself."

"Like what?"

"Like trying to keep your emotions out of your eyes. They give away your every move and thought. Your eyes give away your secrets."

"How can I stop that?" I wondered.

"Let me think about that one. Meanwhile go shower and do those lessons you have."

I smiled at him and ran to my room.

I had fallen into a comfortable routine: training at dawn, lessons in the late morning, lunch, more training, chores, dinner, training again, and then lights out.

Master's first student trained with me in the early morning and master trained me in the afternoons. I looked forward to the afternoons, since that's when I learned the most. He was amazing, able to do things I can only dream of. He told me that since I was so young, I had potential to learn more complicated moves. I listen carefully and learned quickly. I poured every ounce of concentration I had to learn his moves. But every morning I was bested by his first student.

Then my Master got me my first pair of sunglasses.

The Spaniard glared at me as he wiped the blood from his mouth. I was able to land a single kick. It was the first time. I was ecstatic but it didn't last long when I found myself on the floor with his sword at my throat again.

"Better, chico." He said grudgingly before stalking off.

My Master smiled as he walked over to help me up.

"The sunglasses helped." I said.

He nodded. "I thought they would, but you got too cocky that time. Remember never let your guard down."

I hung my head. I should have known that. My Master must have noticed my glum expression. He said cheerfully, "Hey, you're getting better everyday. Now don't you have some studying to do? Strong minds make strong bodies."

I nodded and ran off to start my morning lessons.

He was right. I got better everyday. Soon I was able to land more than a few hits on my opponent. Two years passed quickly as I grew both in stature and in skill. During that time another student about my age joined us. He was someone my Master had met on another mission. When he arrived he was badly burned and was wrapped in bandages. Apparently, he was caught in a car bombing that killed his family. His father was the intended target but the whole family got wiped out. If it wasn't for my Master he would have died as well. Afterwards the boy asked to join him so that he can avenge his family's death. For some reason my Master agreed. Secretly, I wondered if he just wanted me to have someone my own age around. We got along okay but because of what happened to him he was extremely paranoid. You had to be careful what you said to him. He was easily agitated.

The scars from the burn marred his body and he decided to hide them behind his bandages. I tried to tell him it made him look even more conspicuous but he was determined to keep them on. The only thing he did was add a hoodie to his ensemble. My Master took him aside one day and taught him how to use the bandages as an extension of his own body. It had to do with a special technique of controlling one's chi. He and Master got along well.

The Spaniard, however, disliked him immensely. He didn't try to hide it. During trainings he started to go easier on me but was brutal towards the new kid.

One day the Master and Spaniard left for a job. The new student and I were left on the island alone.

I went about my routine and when night rolled around I went to bed. In the middle of the night I heard someone in my room. Being trained to be a light sleeper, I immediately became alert. I didn't move as I tried to make out where the intruder was located. I was on my side with my back facing the wall. With my free hand I groped for the stick I kept next to the bed. When my finger wrapped around it, I leapt out of bed and swung the stick at the shadowy figure. The shadow blocked it and grabbed one end.

"Stop! It's me." Came a familiar voice.

I recognize it as the new kid.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed. "I could have killed you."

"Like to see you try. "He answered. "I couldn't sleep so I went for a walk. Good thing too, because I spotted a plane headed this way."

"So?" I asked getting back into bed. "It could be that they're coming home early."

"You think I'm so stupid that I can't tell the difference between their plane and an unfamiliar one?" He bristled.

I had to think before I answered. He had been wrong before. There were the strange drumming sounds he heard which turned out to be nothing but drops of water hitting a hollow trunk, the sea monster that turned out to be flotsam, and the unidentified flying object he had panicked about turned out to be flocks of gulls. I looked at him tiredly.

"You can go investigate but I'm going back to sleep."

He yanked off my covers. "You have to come with me. I don't know this island that well yet."

I debated grabbing my covers back and punching him but realized it was futile arguing. He probably wouldn't let me go back to sleep either way. I sighed and got up.

"At least let me get dressed."

"Sure."

"In private."

"Oh, yeah right." He scrambled to get out of the room. I sighed again as I looked for my pants and shirt. Before I left I put on the sunglasses.

"What's with the shades?" He asked as I stepped out of my room.

"Just protecting my eyes from your brilliance." I said sarcastically as I passed him.

"Oh, a comedian, are we?" He followed behind.

A few minutes later we were out on the beach scanning the horizon. There was nothing in sight.

"See, nothing there. Probably made a wrong turn." I yawned.

The new guy frowned, "No, no it was coming this way. I'm sure of it. We didn't see it pass by." His eye widened. "It landed!"

I stifled a groan as I let him drag me to look around the island.

"Where can they land around here?" He asked me.

"Well, unless they know where the _hidden_ landing strip is, no where. There's no stretch of open land long and wide enough to land a plane."

"Maybe it landed in the water."

"Maybe but it would have to be where we just were; the other sides are too rocky."

The new kid frowned again. I wanted to punch him and go back to sleep but a sudden unfamiliar noise peek my curiosity. We crept over to a small clearing in the rocks and to my surprise we saw men coming out of a vertical take-off and landing air craft or VTOL.

"I knew it." My companion gloated.

"Yeah, well, we need to get them off our island before they discover we're here." I whispered.

"Right," He suddenly pulled out a submachine gun.

I blinked at him, "Where did you have that?"

He was about to answer when I said, "Never mind, I don't want to know. But if you start shooting that thing you better be sure that you get everyone or we're through."

"You have a better idea, four-eyes?"

"As a matter of fact…"

We back tracked and headed for higher ground. I wanted to see how many people there were.

At the summit I was able to count 8 shadows. They seem unaware that the island was occupied. My Master had told me that the island was fairly new, formed after an eruption several years ago. It wouldn't be surprising if they were just passing through. After gathering the information, I was about to leave. The sun had just started climbing in the horizon and the first rays of light started to touch the island. Because of the light, details started appearing on the moving shadows; something familiar caught my eye. The shadows wore recognizable business suits. My blood ran cold as I realized that these were the men who worked for the client who attacked us two years ago in Tokyo… the attack which had killed Maisy.

The rage came back. I gritted my teeth. No way were they going to set up camp here. I motioned for my bandaged partner to follow me.

"I know them… Well, not know them, know them, but I've dealt with them before. They are ruthless."

"Great," He grinned and brought out his gun. "That means we don't have to hold back.

I realized how blood-thirsty he was.

"Before we go blasting everything to kingdom come, we should figure out what they are doing here. More could be on their way." I insisted.

He scowled. "Oh, all right. We'll do it your way."

I nodded relieved.

We made our way back to our home. We pulled together some shovels, nets, and machete.

I sent the new kid to keep an eye on the trespassers and to see if he can figure out why they were there.

Meanwhile I laid out some traps. The sun was high in the sky by the time I had finish putting the last touches on my rock trap. I heard the fire of a machine gun. Next I saw my bandaged partner running past me firing behind him. I cursed.

I realized what was happening. Sure enough a few minutes later four men came running after him returning fire. Timing it carefully, I released the rocks that I had behind the net. They rolled down the side of the hill and hit their mark. I watched as the men were buried by the avalanche. One man managed to escape but bandages shot out of my trigger happy friend. The man was wrapped up tight and pulled towards my partner who head-butted him. The man dropped to the ground unconscious. I slid down the side of the hill to get to the new kid. When I reached him, I punched him in the shoulder.

"What did you do?" I demanded.

"Oww, they saw me. What else could I do?" He rubbed his shoulder.

"You should have been more careful. Now they know we're here." I was beyond angry.

"Well, I found out why they're here." He said offering a reason for me not to kill him.

I looked at him expectantly.

"They're here to meet someone. They think this island is uninhabited."

"That means more people are coming." I scowled. This was bad. If we're discovered we're going to have to find a new place to live. Since this is my first real home I wasn't about to have it taken away from me.

"Let's take them out." He pulled out another gun.

"Stop that! Where are you getting all those?" I slapped his hand.

"Master has a stash of them."

"You went into his room?" I asked shocked at his audacity.

"Well, this is an emergency." He snapped.

We were arguing so much we didn't even realize we had arrived home. We went inside to see if we could contact our Master.

Suddenly, we heard cans rattling.

"What's that?" He jumped.

"That's my alarm. They're here." I said.

"Your alarm is a bunch of cans strung together? That's so pre-school."

"I use what I got. " I said as I crept to the window. I looked out, careful to keep concealed.

I saw three men untangling themselves from the string. Since the house itself looked like part of the mountain, they didn't realize how close they were to our living quarters.

I turned to my partner. "You stay here and see if you can reach Master. I'm going to try to get them to chase me back to the traps I set."

"That's it?" He complained.

"Make sure no one gets in here!" I growled.

He scowled but nodded. Satisfied that he wasn't going to cause any more problems I left through the back. I went back around front to see if the men were still there. Sure enough they had just finished freeing themselves. I jump out from my hiding place and waved my arms wildly. They saw me and immediately went after me. I ran as fast as I could back towards where the traps were set. I made sure that I didn't go so fast as to lose them or too slow so that they would catch me. A shot came too close for comfort. I gritted my teeth and kept running hoping that it's true what Master had said about how hard it is to hit a moving target. Another shot came near my foot.

Almost to the first trap. As I neared it I jumped and landed on the balls of my feet. I turned back slightly to see but kept running. One man ran and fell into the cleverly hidden hole loosely covered by sticks and dirt. The other two were able to stop in time and went around it. They continued to chase me.

I made my way to the second trap. It was up a steep hill. I manage to climb up without sliding down. The other two were not so lucky. The loose rock and dirt made it hard for them to gain any traction. When I got to the top I jumped off the ledge and hid underneath it. When I heard the footsteps above me I kicked the log that was holding my makeshift ledge and the men fell down the side of the cliff into the hard ground below.

When I saw they were both not moving, I climbed back up the ledge. Unfortunately, I was staring down a barrel of a pistol as I poked my head up.

"You caused me a lot of trouble you little brat." He cocked the gun. Thinking fast I scooped up some dirt and threw it into his eyes. He yelped and staggered back. I pulled myself into a handstand and flipped backwards crashing into him feet first. I had hoped to knock the gun out of his hands. But no such luck. He wasn't letting go. I grabbed his hand to try to wrench it from him. He was larger than me but I didn't back down. Both my hands were on his gun hand twisting and trying to get him to drop it. With his other hand he tried to push me away. I kicked him in the shins. He yelped and tried to punch me. I twisted out of the way and somehow the gun winded up between us. He grabbed my hands now trying to pry them off his. The rage that had been building when I first saw them started to boil over. I don't know what happened next but suddenly there was a loud explosion. My ears were ringing from the noise.

The man's eyes widened. He dropped to his knees and fell over. I looked down. My hands, the gun, my pants, half my shirt were covered in blood. I dropped the gun. I stood there unable to move. I don't know how long I was there but that's where Master found me.

He led me home. I said very little. When I got back, the new kid was telling the Spaniard how he found the intruders and had gotten rid of them. I was too sick and tired to correct him.

"Hiko, you all right?" My Master asked.

I swallow hard the bile that was rising up. "I'm fine. Just tired." Then I thought of something. "Those men were waiting…"

"Already taken care of." My Master dismissed it with a wave of his hand.

I nodded. I didn't know how they knew or care anymore. I just had to get to a bathroom.

"Excuse me." I said, "I need to clean up."

"Since when are you fastidious?" The Spaniard asked scornfully.

I ignored him and left. I made it to the bathroom, locked it, and promptly started throwing up. As I clung to the toilet and my stomach emptied its contents, I realized it was the first time I had ever killed someone. Yes, he had deserved it and he would have done the same to me but I had killed someone. Something screamed and twisted inside of me. When my stomach had given up everything, I sat dry heaving. Finally, my body settled down. Then I noticed the blood. His blood was still on me. I pulled off my shirt and pants and shoved them in the trash. I ran to the sink and started scrubbing my hands. I had turned on only the hot water and was using the bar of soap. I scrubbed and scrubbed until my hands were sore and my skin started to peel but no matter how hard I washed I felt like there was still blood on my hands. The steam from the sink had filled the room and fogged the mirror. When I looked I could only make out a distorted image with shades on. I saw the face of a monster.

_The mercenary was tired. He had taken his first student with him on a mission. Everything went according to plan and they had ended early. He was looking forward to going home. As he flew the plane, his student endlessly prattled on about his previous missions. Boy, could he talk. The mercenary had learned to tune out most of his student's yapping and learned to grunt in the right places to seem like he was listening. He missed training his new students especially Hiko. He was fond of the boy although he was careful not show it. It wouldn't do for a hardened mercenary to show that kind of attachment. But he had an inkling that the Spaniard knew and was more than a little jealous. He took on the injured boy so that Hiko would have a companion his age and the Spaniard would have someone else to pick on. _

_Suddenly, he spotted a plane headed in the direction of his island. It was a private plane of some sort. Curious, he followed behind to see where it was actually going. He motioned to his student and pointed out that the plane was headed for their home. His student frowned. An urgent message came through from his new student. He told them about intruders on the island and what they were doing there. The mercenary knew then that this plane was indeed headed for his home. _

_He flew over the plane and had the Spaniard take over the controls. As his plane hovered over the other, he jump onto it and with his katana sliced open the roof of the plane. He entered and made short work of the security. As the plane started to decompress and lose altitude he forced answers from the owner of the plane. Apparently, he was going to a meeting point with some dealers. When he realized that he was meeting his old nemesis from Tokyo he knocked him out and proceeded to crash the plane into the ocean. He jumped from the doomed aircraft and shot his grappling hook at the wing of his plane. The rope wrapped itself twice around the wing. He pulled himself up and watched the other plane plunge into the waters below. No survivors, problem solved. Now he had to get home fast. His new students were in trouble._

_He found Hiko staring at the lifeless body at his feet. He was covered in blood. He softly called his name. Hiko looked up mechanically. His shades covered his eyes but he knew the boy well enough now to know that he was in shock. He had taken a life. It was not the way the mercenary would have liked to have it happen. He was hoping that the boy would be older or that it would never come to pass. But now that he had his first kill, each subsequent kill would be easier until he became a soulless assassin. _

_The mercenary knew that the boy's spirit was not cut out for this. He had come to that conclusion from reading Maisy's journals. She knew that the boy had a sensitive soul and a good heart. Every one of these loathsome acts of violence scarred his heart until one day his heart would be so hardened that it would kill him. Not a physical death perhaps, but a kind of death that would be a thousand times worse. Unfortunately, the mercenary felt powerless to stop it. He brought the boy home. As he watched the boy leave, he promised himself that if there was another way he would help the boy find a different path, a path where he could be healed of his wounds and where he would heal the wounds of others._

Six stopped again. He looked at Rebecca and waited. He was apprehensive about what she might say about the whole incident.

She swallowed and licked her lips before speaking. "Are you okay? You don't have to continue if it's too hard."

Six was startled. He was not expecting her to be concerned about him.

"I'm fine. It was a long time ago."

"Doesn't mean it doesn't still hurt."

"It doesn't. I've gotten over it." Six insisted.

Rebecca wasn't so sure. "Well, would you mind me asking a question, then?"

"What is it?"

"Could he really control his bandages? It's not like the Nanite Event happened yet. He wasn't an EVO. How did he do it?"

Six paused. He realized the scientist part of her was taking over.

"I'm not sure either. One was very secretive about the technique."

"And why don't you call them by their names? I figured the Spaniard is Dos and your Master is One. What was the mummy's name?"

"Ivy, like the roman numerals."

"Hmm, interesting."

"We weren't ranked yet." Six explained.

"When were you then? What about three and five?" Rebecca asked.

Well, at least she was still interested.

"That story's next. But it's getting late. Do you still want to continue?"

"Only if you do."

Six studied her. She looked eager to continue and didn't seem disgusted by him yet. By her questions he knew she was paying attention. He decided to continue.


	6. Chapter 6

**None of the characters belong to me. **

**Thank you to everyone who is reading this and for those who take time out to review. I appreciate your feedback. I seem to be getting less feedback than my last story. So I'm wondering if this story is liked less. Maybe it's a little too dark? I did rate this a T. Are the characters too OC? Anyway, I'm sorry if everything isn't what you expected. Hope some of you enjoy it at least. I'm writing this instead of what I really should be doing which is work. I'm trying to finish this story up so I can concentrate on real work. But I don't want to offer up subpar stories either. So hope I can finish this well. Please let me know either way if you like this or not. **

_So it was official; he is the most dangerous man on the planet. Most people his age would have long retired or would have been dead already. The fact that he had lasted this long attested to his skills and prowess, especially after the last mission. During the last mission he had managed to kill off the only other man who was at the game longer than him...the original One. The mercenary world caught wind of that and the title was now officially his. What they didn't realize was that he no longer cared for that moniker. The only reason he had killed him was that he had threatened his family. It was not out of ruthlessness, revenge, or any other such trivial reasons. He was protecting his students and especially the boy. _

_He shouldn't even call him a boy. He was a man now: tall, strong, and confident… maybe a little too confident. He had adopted a swagger that the mercenary didn't like but it was an act to cover up the guilt and pain he felt every time he completed a kill. He particularly disliked how he acted toward another one of his student… a certain pink haired young lady he had taken under his wing. He was playing a dangerous game with her. Not only was he flirting with her but with anyone in a skirt. The mercenary knew the girl had feelings for the boy and the boy would have to be stupid not to realize this. But he seemed to find it amusing to play with her feelings. Then there was a certain Cajun who constantly got on everyone's nerves especially the girl's, but he had his endearing traits. His third student had mastered using his bandages as weapons but his paranoia often made him insufferable. The Spaniard had taken the growth of their group in stride. The mercenary left him in charge of most missions now so he didn't complain much. In fact, the Spaniard had adopted an almost charming, affable demeanor. But like the boy's swag, it was all an act. Underneath he was a cold blooded killer who used people for his own means. _

_He felt responsible for all of them. The mercenary hoped they would eventually turn from their paths. He sighed as he ran his hand over his tired eyes. His glance fell on the worn journal on his night stand. He walked over and gently touched it._

_He never would have believed it. But he of all people had fallen in love… and to a dead woman no less. After years of reading Maisy's journal trying to figure her out he ended up falling in loving with her… her spirit, her kind heart, her grit. She was like no one he had ever met or ever hope to meet again. He didn't even know people like her existed. The irony was not lost on him. Because of her, he had softened his attitude toward all his students but Hiko was his favorite. The others knew and accepted it because he treated them all fairly._

_One. He is now One. It also meant he got to give out ranks. His students expected it. That is what is really bothering him. He had to rank each student in order of their deadliness. He knew that however he chose someone will be hurt._

Six tried to sort the story out in his head before he told her anything. There were parts that she couldn't know because of the pact they had all made. Then there were parts he was afraid of telling her but needed to… and it takes time to sugar coat the story.

When he was somewhat satisfied he began.

Master later took on two more students, a Cajun after a job in Louisiana and a girl from London's East End. We all trained together and became a sort of makeshift family. When we were ready, we worked together on jobs. I can't say too much about those missions but let's just say we were very successful. In fact, we became the most highly sought after and most feared mercenary team. Whatever needed to be done, if the price was right it would get done.

Then came a particularly sensitive job. I can't tell you the details but it involved breaking into a highly secure facility and extracting some canisters for a certain government.

"Remember your parts?" The Spaniard hissed impatiently.

"Yes, love. Yeesh, how many times are we gonna go ove' that?" the girl sniffed.

"Relax, we got this." The bandaged assassin said.

"Huh, you should talk 'bout relaxin'." The Cajun scoffed.

"Okay, all of you knock it off." I said as I checked my watch. "It's almost time."

We scattered and got into our positions.

The laundry truck drove in right on schedule. As the truck stopped at the checkpoint and while the guards were distracted, I belly crawled under the truck and hung onto the undercarriage.

When the truck was cleared it drove in with me stowed away in the bottom.

As it rounded the corner of a building I let go and dropped to the ground. After the truck left, I quickly rolled over to hide in the shadows of the building. I looked to see the mummy assassin using his bandages to take out the outer security cameras. Meanwhile, I hoped that the Spaniard was taking care of the guards on the perimeter. I listened for the signal. When I heard the cooing of a dove, I rushed across the open and made it to the next building. A rope dropped next to me. I grabbed it and was immediately pulled up to a window. The girl smiled cheekily at me. "You could s'and to lose a few, ma'e."

"More of me to love." I smirked at her. We quickly made our way to the door of the room. I saw the grate of the air shaft where she had entered lying on the floor. I put my ear to the door. I heard footsteps coming down the hall. I motioned for her to get down. We waited as the footsteps grew louder then fade as it passed the room. We carefully opened the door and check to see if the coast was clear. Then we made our way to the labs. When we reached the labs we split up. There were two items we needed to get. One was a virus, the other a deadly man-made chemical. She went to find the virus, I the chemical. According to the information the Master received, the chemical was in lab four.

I made my way to the lab, careful to avoid the security cameras. Once there I pulled out the katana my Master gave me and sliced open the door. Immediately, the alarm went off but it didn't matter because I got what I came for. I secured the canister and ran to the agreed meeting point. The purpose of me setting off the alarms was so that it would provide a distraction so that my friend could easily get into the lab with the virus.

As expected I was met with security. They fired their weapons and I pulled out my katana to deflect their bullets back at them. They fell back as I advanced. They were so busy with me that they didn't notice that the Cajun had snuck up behind them. He grabbed two and smashed their heads together. Then he picked up one and threw him against the rest. They fell like bowling pins. I scowled at him.

"What kept you?"

"Sooorrrry, maybe next time I not show up at all." He grinned.

I brushed past him into the room. The girl was already there with her canister.

"Let's go." I said going to the window. I looked out to see if our bandaged partner had the vehicle ready. Sure enough, below us was the tank he was suppose to hijack. The hatch opened up and I saw a black hoodie pop out. He looked up.

"What are you waiting for?" He asked.

I jumped the distance from the third floor to the tank and landed smoothly on the gun turret. The girl followed suit. The Cajun looked down.

"Taking the stairs!" He declared.

"No, you nit! You're was'ing time! We're not wai'ing for you. " the girl yelled.

The Cajun shrugged and disappeared from the window.

"That bloomin' idiot," the girl muttered under her breath, "Serves him right if he ge's his fat hide handed to him."

We got into the tank and drove out towards the gate, mowing down any obstacles in the way. They were powerless to stop us. As we headed away from the facility and into the woods, we started to think that we were home free.

About a mile into the woods, an explosion created a crater in front of us and the tank fell in.

This was not part of the plan. I opened the hatch of the tank with my katana ready. I came face to face with the man who had set off the explosion. It was One. No, not my One, but the original… the original most deadly man on the planet. He was leisurely leaning on the hood of his jeep, arms crossed.

"I'll be taking those canisters, if you please. "The man said in a faint French accent.

"Over our dead bodies!" shouted the girl who had pushed her way up. I really wished she hadn't used that expression.

"I'll be happy to oblige you." One sniffed as he pulled up the missile launcher that was by his side. He fired at us. We quickly scrambled out of the tank as the missile made a direct hit. The tank was ripped to shreds.

"What kinda crazy missile is that?" yelled my bandaged partner.

"The kind you don't want to hit you." I replied gritting my teeth. "Here!" I tossed my canister to him. "Get this out of here. I'll hold him off."

"Always wanting the action for yourself." He complained catching the canister. But he left anyway. I looked at the girl.

"You need to leave too." I said to her.

"You're not going it alone." She insisted pulling out her signature pink guitar.

"That canister needs to get to our client! Everything else is secondary." I snapped at her.

I could tell she was hurt by my words but she quickly hid it.

"You better get out alive or I'll kill you." She glared at me as she left.

I smirked before I brought out my katana to face One.

"You're a brave one, mon ami." He looked at me. "You face with a sword, eh? I can do no less then?"

He tossed the missile launcher and pulled out a saber. "Your katana faces my saber? It will be interesting, no?" He launched himself at me and our swords clashed. As we fought I knew I was in trouble. Even though he was much older than my Master, he was agile, quick, and skilled with his weapon. I looked like a novice compared to him. He swiftly put me on the defensive. I knew he was trying to back me into the corner and I couldn't stop him. It was all I could do to keep him from actually slicing me. A couple of times his saber came dangerously close to an artery. Suddenly, my back hit a tree. With one skilled swing my katana was knocked out of my hand.

"Too bad. I though I had found a worthy opponent." One pulled his sword back. Then his sword was knocked out of his hand by a large rock. He turned his glare in the direction the projectile had come from.

I had never been so glad to see the Cajun.

"Hey, couyon, you leave my podna alone. I gonna make misere on you." He snarled.

I wasn't sure what he said but I was glad he had One's attention.

"Ah, my lost French brother." One said mockingly, "Vous êtes un homme mort*"

"Come and get me." The Cajun taunted.

One moved so fast that the Cajun didn't even have time to react. He was punched in the gut, face and chest. Then One moved back to his original position. He looked disdainfully at the Cajun who was on one knee trying to get up off the ground.

The Cajun glared at him, "Hold still, sos I can murder you."

One laughed mirthlessly as he retrieved his saber. "Oh, my brother, you are an imbécile."

The Cajun growled and ran towards the mercenary. The Cajun was fast for a guy built like a tank on steroids but One was faster. He sidestepped out of the way so the Cajun ran into a tree. Then with one roundhouse kick knocked him into me. I rolled the Cajun over. He got up and rubbed his head.

"OO ye yi, that man can do some hurtin'," He looked at me. "You a thinkin' maybe we both try to take him on?"

I nodded still sore from where he landed on me. We both came at him. I swung my katana at him but he blocked me and kicked me away. Right behind me the Cajun swung his fist at One's face but One blocked him by grabbing his fist with one hand. Then taking his wrist with the other, flipped him over.

"Bigger they are, the harder they fall." He said almost gleefully.

He was enjoying this. I felt rage bubbling up in me as I slashed him with my katana. Not to brag but I thought I was pretty fast with the katana but he made me look like I was moving in slow motion. He blocked each hit effortlessly. I could have sworn he almost yawned one of those times. Then with the last block he elbowed me in the face. I staggered back trying to recover from the blow. He had cracked one of the lenses on my shade making it harder to see. When I looked up he was almost on top of me with his saber about to strike. I thought it was over when he saber was blocked by a cane. The Spaniard glared at him and using his cane pushed him back.

"What do you think you are doing to my team?" He hissed at the Frenchman.

One laughed. "So they are yours? Well, they not so good, no?"

"Good enough to beat you." Came a female voice. She jumped down from the branches of the trees with her guitar on her shoulder.

"You messed with the wrong group." The bandaged mercenary stepped out from behind the trees.

One looked amused. "All of you to try to fight, moi? I am flattered." Then he stepped into his battle stance.

I looked over at the Spaniard. "Where's the canisters?"

"Taken care of. Do not worry, chico." He held his cane up and shot at One who dodged the bullets smoothly. He then brought out his own pistol from his belt and fired at us. We scattered. The girl swung her guitar and knocked the gun from his hand but in doing so got too close so that One was able to side kick her across her head. She fell unconscious.

"No!" I yelled as I attacked him with my katana. I swung my katana at his midsection and he blocked it like before but this time with my free hand I punched him in his smug face. I caught him by surprise but not for long as he dropped and did a low sweep knocking me off my feet. He swung his saber and I blocked him and kicked him off. I was hoping to keep him busy as my bandaged partner snuck behind him. Abruptly, One leapt up just as white bandages shot just below him. He did a back flip slicing the bandages neatly as he landed and then with the hilt of his saber slammed it into his bandaged face. He fell to the ground unconscious. One advanced and was about to gut him when he was tackled by the Cajun but One rolled onto his back and used his legs to bounce him off. He used the momentum to backwards roll into a standing position. The Cajun hit a tree and fell unmoving. One grabbed his other revolver and took a shot at me. This time I was not so lucky as I felt hot lead rip through my leg. I dropped down in pain but held onto my katana ready to block any more bullets. I quickly scanned the area. Only the Spaniard was left standing everyone else was down for the count. I forced through the pain and stood up.

One smiled scornfully, "Eh, mon ami, trying to be the hero?"

I didn't answer. I was trying to ignore the pain that was coursing through my leg as I limped toward him. I had to give the Spaniard an opening. As I favored my good leg, I raced toward him trying to force him into a defensive position. I tried to remember everything my Master had taught me. If I was going to die, I wanted to go down fighting. From the corner of my eye I saw the Spaniard get into position. But it seemed that One was one step ahead of us when he suddenly pulled out an odd looking gun and shot out a net that wrapped itself around the Spaniard. It caught him by surprise as he struggled to get loose. He then knocked the katana out of my hand the second time that day and kicked me in my chest. I fell on my back the wind knocked out of me and my vision starting to blur. I knew the loss of blood was taking its toll. I was going to die but I felt nothing. I closed my eyes as he stepped up to me with his saber held high.

"You put up a good fight. Your death will be quick." I heard him say. Then darkness came over me.

When I came to, I opened my eyes but was blinded by a bright light.

"Am I dead?" I asked stupidly.

"If you are, I told you I was goin' to kill you." A girl's voice answered me.

I blinked to clear my vision. I looked above me and saw blurred figure with pink hair. I immediately knew who it was.

"What happened?" I asked trying to sit up. I felt a hand on my shoulder gently but firmly pushed me down.

"It was stupid of you to try to take on One by yourself especially wounded. You lost a lot of blood. The bullet hit an artery. You should have died." I heard my Master. I turned towards the voice.

"I'm sorry. I failed." I said humbly.

"No, you didn't." He answered. "I got both canisters secured before I came looking for all of you. Good thing too or there might not have been anything left of you."

"Then we completed the mission." I asked closing my eyes. The light was hurting them.

"The mission is completed." My Master answered.

"Yeah, and he killed One!" I heard the mummy say.

My eyes flew open. "What?" One had single handedly beat all five of us. Master must have had a spectacular fight and I missed it because I was unconscious.

Master dismissed it with a wave of his hand but I noticed that it was bandaged. I also notice for the first time the blood that was on his shirt.

"That's not important. What is important is that you are all safe."

"And the mission is successful." Added the Spaniard.

My Master looked at him tiredly. "Let's go home."

Later that week we found out that our Master was the new One. We all began to address him as such, much to his annoyance. So I finally stopped and continued to call him Master. He seemed happier with that but the others continued to call him by his new title. We all knew what that meant. We would be getting ranks too. All of us began speculating what number we'd be.

"I bet you're goin' be two." The girl said to me.

"It could be any of us." I tried to be magnanimous, but honestly, I did think he would name me Two. I had lasted longest in the fight with the original One. Over the years, I had become the better fighter. I could and have bested all of my companions in training. I'm sure if push came to shove I could best them in a real fight as well.

Then finally came that day. One walked into our training room. We all looked at him expectantly. He pointed at each one of us…

"Two, Three, Four, Five, and Six" He then turned abruptly and left. I was shocked. He pointed at me last. I was Six. I quickly followed him out.

"Master, I think I misunderstood you." I said catching up to him.

"No, Six." He addressed me by my new rank.

I walked in front of him to stop him. " B..b..but I can't be Six." I stammered.

"Yes, you are Six." He put a hand on my shoulder. Then without another word he walked away. It was stupid of me but for a second I thought I was going to cry but instead I smashed my fist into the wall. I looked at my bloodied hand and walked to my room.

That night at dinner the others were talking about changing their names to reflect their ranks..

"Two is no name for me. I will go by Dos." Dos announced.

"Well, if you gonna be fancy, fancy, I wanna be Trey." Trey grinned.

Not to be out done, the bandaged assassin said, "I am going to be Ivy."

We all looked at him. "Like the Roman Numerals, people!" He snapped.

Five looked up. "I'll stick wi'h what One gave me."

They looked at me. I said nothing.

"Come on, you gonna be sticking with Six?" Trey asked with a grin. I wanted to smack him but refrained.

"I'll stick with Six." I said. In my head I added, because I'm not going to stay six for long. I was going to show my Master and everyone just who the most dangerous man on the planet really is.

_The mercenary was staring a hole in the journal. He had been putting this off for awhile and he could no longer wait. He knew the boy expected to be named two but he knew he couldn't do that to him. Once given that rank he would be doomed to the assassins' life and he wanted more for him. Besides he wasn't the most dangerous person. He had a heart and a soul. He cared for others whether he realized it or not. His first instincts were not to kill but to disable or disarm. That's why the mercenary had been steering away from missions that require them to straight out kill. He was sure the Spaniard noticed but as long as he was in charge and paid he didn't care. None of them really cared about the sanctity of life except for the boy. _

"_What am I going to do?" He asked the journal. He opened it up and looked at the page. He knew what he had to do and it was not going to be pretty._

_He found them in the training room. Ever since he was named One they were expecting their ranks. He pointed and rattled off their numbers. Then he walked out too tired to face their questions. But the boy…Six, came after him. He knew he would._

"_Master, I think I misunderstood you." He looked expectantly at the mercenary._

"_No, Six." He answered with his rank so that there would be no confusion._

"_B..b..but I can't be Six." It hurt him to see the boy look so confused and betrayed. But he was doing it for his own good._

"_Yes, you are Six." Then he walked away unable to face whatever else the boy may have to say. It was too hard for him to explain and he doubt the boy would agree with him anyway. As he walked away his acute hearing heard the sound of plaster being smashed. He inwardly cringed but kept walking._

_When he got back to his room he looked at the journal._

"_I did the best I could." He whispered tiredly._

Six had paused in his story. Rebecca was not looking at him but rather the floor.

There was awkward silence until Rebecca broke it.

"Were you and Five… dating?" She asked unexpectedly.

Six looked up startled again. He wasn't expecting that question.

He licked his lips and pushed his sunglasses further up his nose before answering.

"We had a complicated relationship."

"She liked you?"

"I guess."

"And you her?"

Six got up and ran his hand through his hair. "I… she was someone I worked with."

"Like me?" Rebecca said softly.

Six started to panic on the inside. He was trying to avoid the whole topic and thought he did a somewhat admirable job keeping it vague but Rebecca had seen through it.

"Were you…close?"

"It's hard not to be close when you do what we did."

"That's not what I was asking." Rebecca's voice had an edge to it.

Six looked away. Rebecca had her answer.

"Why did you break up with her?"

Six didn't answer.

"Maybe I should go now." Rebecca said quietly starting to get up.

Startled, Six took a step forward but stopped. He was fighting something.

"She broke up with me." He reluctantly admitted.

"Why?" Rebecca asked as she sat back down.

Six swallowed hard. "I cheated on her."

Rebecca nodded not looking surprised. "I thought so."

Six on the other hand was. "You knew?"

"Well, I had a feeling. You weren't exactly Mr. Subtle after you lost your memory." Rebecca chuckled lightly.

Six turned around to hide the blush he felt that was creeping up his face.

There was more awkward silence.

"So what happened next?" Rebecca prompted.

Six made sure the blush had subsided before he turned around to face her. He was almost done and then Rebecca will make her decision. He realized he had been constantly fighting the urge to get closer to her. He was naturally drawn to her. He wanted to be close enough to feel the warmth of her body or to brush his hand against hers. All that felt natural, normal. If she rejected him, he wasn't sure if he could keep the promise of just being acquaintances. He couldn't think about it right now. He had to finish what he had started and hope for the best.

***You are a dead man.**

**This went longer than I had hoped. I actually had to cut out the fight scene between the original One and new One. It made the story clunky. But if you are curious I was thinking along the lines of the final fight scene of Samurai Champloo between Jin and Kagetoki Kariya. You can YouTube it. It was awesome in my head but too hard to write down.  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**I don't own any of the characters.**

_It was frustrating. Ever since he gave them their ranks the team was breaking down. Dos had become unbearable, always casually bringing up his high number to rub in the others' faces, especially Six's. Trey was indifferent to his rank. He was just his usual annoying self but the others were starting to tolerate it less. Five was especially harsh with Trey. He began to wonder if the Cajun was not purposefully annoying her because he secretly had a crush on her. IV no longer trusted Five or Six. He thought they were after his number. Six might have been but Five had other things on her mind… like killing a certain two-timing ex-boyfriend. _

_But what really concerned him was the in-fighting had gotten so bad over the past year that they were barely speaking to each other. Any communications they had unless it was just terse orders usually deteriorated into fights… not little verbal spars but knock down drag out fights. Often he had to physically separate them less they end up killing each other. He didn't even have them training together anymore. When Five caught Six with another woman she almost bludgeon him to death during a training session. One didn't interfere knowing that Six deserved it. But afterwards he scheduled their sessions separately. With the way things are going he knew it was just a matter of time before it caught up with them._

Six was extremely embarrassed by the revelation of his youthful indiscretions to Holiday. He hoped she would not take it to mean he was still the same way. Although he had to wonder what she really thought of him when they met after his memory loss. Did she think he was still like that? Would she reject him based on just that?

He pushed all his insecurities aside and tried to finish his story.

After One gave us our numbers, things got tense. During missions it was clear that we had become competitive and were no longer working together. I especially took every opportunity to try to show the others up. It went on for a year and we got more and more sloppy in our work. Then came the fateful mission in Malaysia.

Dos told us it was a simple mission.

"We go in, assassinate the prime minister and we leave."

"If it's that simple why do they need all of us?" Five asked.

"Do you think there will be no security? We need to take them out as well as devise distractions to keep the authorities busy." Dos snapped uncharacteristically. Dos glared at her. They were on poor terms after the near disaster in Buenos Aires where Five left Dos to face a horde of angry ranchers.

"So what's the plan?" IV asked.

"Two of us will provide a diversion by derailing the commuter train. We will set off some small explosives before the train reaches the junction. It will look like an accident. While the majority of their police and military forces are taking care of the disaster, two will take out the security in the prime minister's compound; I will go in and take care of the prime minister."

"Wait, does One know about this mission?" I asked suspiciously.

Dos stared daggers at me. "This mission came unexpectedly. I didn't have time to consult him. The payment was impossible to pass up."

"So you went behind his back?" I was dangerously challenging him. Although I was upset at One for ranking me so low I was still loyal to him.

"I merely made a prudent decision in his absence. Are you in or do we need to replace you? Shouldn't be hard for such a low number. " Dos said in his fake amicable voice.

I gritted my teeth. He always knew how to get to me. "I'm in." I growled.

Dos gave us our assignments. Five and Trey were to set off explosives along the commuter rail, while IV and I took out the security in the compound. Dos was going to get into the facilities, take out the target and get out before they even knew what hit them. It seemed like a pretty straightforward hit.

We entered Malaysia through Thailand and made our way down to Putrajaya where the prime minister's office was located. We had arrived a day early to do some reconnaissance. We spent the day gathering information. At night we were left to our own devices. Trey talked me into accompanying him to the nearest bar… for entertainment.

"Hey, can I get a drink 'round here?" Trey called to the bartender. Fortunately, the man knew enough English to slide over a drink which Trey grabbed and began gulping down. He then grinned at some girls and went over to talk to them. I sat sullen. The bartender passed one down to me but I wasn't thirsty. I just stared at it. The mission wasn't sitting well with me. Maybe because Master hadn't approved it or maybe there was something else but I couldn't see it at that moment.

"Well, you look like you just lost your best friend." The man next to me said cheerfully while taking a sip of his drink.

I looked over at the man who had addressed me.

"And what's with the sunglasses?"

I didn't answer and went back to staring at my drink.

"Hey, now don't be offended. You can wear whatever you want. Name's Knight." He stuck out his hand. I don't know what possessed me but I shook his hand but didn't offer my name.

"So's stranger, not talkative are ya? Well, don't worry I can gab enough for both of us." He seemed to amuse himself as he chuckled. Then leaning closer and in a low confidential tone said, "I know you're here to do a job."

Alarmed I reached for my katana but he chuckled again.

"Now, son, don't worry. I'm not here to blow your cover. I'm just looking to recruit."

"Recruit?" I finally spoke.

"Yeah, you know, got a big job and can't run it myself. Gotta find some good people I can trust to work with." He said good-naturedly.

"Well, you can't trust mercenaries." I replied.

"True, but I got good instincts and there's something about you that says… trustworthy."

He seemed pleased with himself.

"Sorry, not interested." I hoped he would leave.

"Too bad. Well, if you ever change your mind…" He handed me a card. I stared at it a moment before I slipped it into my pocket. I was pretty sure I would never see it again.

Just then a man came flying over the bar and into the wall of bottles before falling and taking half of them down. I cursed and turned around.

Trey had somehow gotten himself into a fight. I jumped in to help him as several men clung to his massive frame. I pulled one man off and punched him. Trey shook the other two off his arms, grabbed the one directly behind him and threw him across the room. As I turned around I saw a man directly behind me about to smash a chair over my head when he was knocked out by the man I was just talking to. He had a wide grin.

"Haven't been in a bar fight in a while. Kinda fun." He grabbed a random man from the crowd and knocked him out. I ducked as a fist swung from behind me and kicked backwards; my foot catching him in the stomach. I knocked another assailant away as Knight head-butted one. We stood back to back as the patrons of the bar surrounded us.

"I got an idea. Trust me?" He asked me.

"Don't have much choice do I?" I replied.

He grabbed one of my arms and swung me around. I got the gist and stiffened my legs so that the impact would hurt more. The men fell like dominoes. I slowed to a stop. Knight then put his hands together and crouched low. I understood what he wanted me to do as one foot stepped into his hands; he threw me into the air. I did a back-flip and landed behind the rest of the men. I attacked from behind while Knight attacked from the front. As most of the men laid at our feet, we heard sirens.

"Oops, it's the cops. They don't look kindly to foreigners starting brawls. I suggest you take your friend and high-tail it outta here."

I nodded and grabbed Trey who at the moment was trying to break a man's femur with his hands.

"Let's go, Trey. Don't want to be thrown in jail before the mission's completed." I hissed.

He reluctantly let go of the screaming man and followed me to the men's room. We quietly snuck out the window just as the cops were coming in.

Dos was very annoyed when he learned of the fight. So much so that he switched our assignments. That was the first mistake. I was now stuck setting the explosives with Five. Trey was now working with IV to take out the security. Dos wanted Trey close to keep an eye on him.

I tried to make the best of the situation but working with Five was not easy seeing as she was…annoyed at me. We set the explosives without talking to each other which was the second mistake.

At the appointed time nothing happened. I glared at her.

"I thought you set the fuse?"

"No, you nit. You were suppose to."

"Oh, great!" I ran to where the explosion was supposed to happen. I could see the train coming fast. I could still set the bomb off but it was risky. I set the fuse but then cut it to shorten it and lit it by hand. I ran hoping I had enough time. I heard and felt the force of the explosion as I jumped for cover.

When I looked up I realize to my horror that instead of the train derailing into the hole the explosion made, the explosion had blew up after the train passed over it. It was torn in two causing much more fatalities then if it had just derailed.

I stood gaping at the carnage. I didn't even feel Five grabbing me and shouting that we had to leave now. I let her drag me away. I couldn't stop staring at the child's shoe that lay in the field.

I later learned that because of the delay in the explosions it put Trey and IV's timing off. They had started arguing about what to do when some of the security guards caught them. Instead of stealthily taking them out, it turned into a straight out gun fight. When security learned of the bombing of the train, they brought out military artillery. IV's hand nearly got blown off. Luckily we managed to save it but he lost his pinky.

Dos was unable to get near the prime minister. So he ended up blowing up half the building with an impulse grenade. The prime minister survived but many of the people around the area didn't.

It was a disaster. We regrouped at the designated spot, a new construction at the edge of the city, but we were wanted fugitives. It also didn't help that we were at each other's throats.

"What happened?" Dos snapped at Five and me.

"He forgo' to se' the bloomin' charge." She accused me.

"You didn't tell me. IV said you were going to do it." I protested.

"This is your fault!" IV snarled at me.

"How is getting your hand mangled my fault?" I scoffed. "You weren't fast enough to avoid the missiles."

Trey laughed, "He's bandage catch on a branch."

IV turned his glare at him. "I don't recall you coming to help me either."

"Enough!" Dos snapped. "Right now we need to concentrate on getting out. We will deal with whose fault it is later." He looked especially at me.

I defiantly returned his look.

Suddenly, we heard helicopters overhead and saw spotlights shining from above. They were searching for us. We hid in the shadows and waited until they passed. We had to get out of the city towards Tanjong Sepat, a fishing village along the Straits of Malacca. There we hoped to catch a boat out and back into Thailand.

We split up to avoid detection. I left on my own. I "borrowed" a bicycle and rode it through the dark empty streets. I rode all night and reached the town around dawn.

Unfortunately, all coastal towns were on alert. There were military and police patrolling every fishing vessel. I ditched the bike. I passed through a yard where some clothes were drying on a line. I took some off the line and put it on. The sunglasses were last to go. I had to blend in. As I wandered around the town I spotted some police coming my direction. I grabbed a paper off a newspaper stand and pretended to read it, covering my face. The men walked past never even glancing at me. But I was confronted with blurry mug shots of all our faces on the front page. It also included a picture of the devastated train. I gulped down the bile that was rising in my throat as I replaced the paper. I had to find the rest and get out now.

I casually strolled over to the pier and looked out at the fishing boats. I walked over to one and leaned against the wooden rail to look at a particular one. An old man wandered over and stood next to me.

"Nice boat." He said loudly in the Malay Language.

"Yes." I answered in kind. I knew who it was.

"Have you seen the others?" He whispered quietly.

"No. You're the first." I whispered back.

"If they don't show up in the next 10 minutes we're taking that boat and leaving."

I tried not to look at him but the annoyance was in my voice as I snapped." So we're just going to leave them?"

"They can fend for themselves."

"That's low." I hissed.

"Just as low as when Five left me." He retorted.

"That was different."

"Not to me."

Luckily, I saw Five out of the corner of my eye. She had on a traditional woman's dress complete with headscarf to hide her pink hair. I guess I wasn't the only one to raid a clothes line.

She stood a few feet away from us seeing as in this culture men and women were not to mingle so freely.

"Where's the o'hers?" She whispered quietly.

"Dos, says we're only waiting 10 minutes and then we're leaving." I answered.

Something flicked across her eyes and then it vanished replaced by a cold hard stare.

"Fine."

"What?" I asked incredulous.

"He's the leader on this."

"So you don't care about the others?"

"Since when did they care abou' me? Or you?" She countered looking out sideways careful not to completely turn her head.

I didn't answer knowing it would do no good to talk about it right now.

I glanced over at Dos. He neither acknowledge me nor what Five had said.

"I'm going to look for them." I announced turning around and walking back towards town.

"If you're not back in 8 minutes you are on your own." Dos said.

I didn't waste time answering. I ran through the streets trying to discretely look for Trey and IV. I had no idea where to look first or even where to begin. All I knew was I had to do something. Even though they weren't my favorite people, I couldn't abandon them.

I spotted Trey's massive frame in an alley way. Unfortunately, so did the police.

"Stop!" They ordered him in their language.

Trey grinned evilly. He cracked his knuckles and advanced. The police opened fired. I jumped in between them and blocked the bullets with my katana.

"Run!" I ordered Trey.

Trey frowned. "I'm not running from a fight."

"Now's not the time to argue. GO!" I yelled as I blocked more bullets. Trey paused a moment before complying. I backed away still blocking bullets and then ran after him.

He headed into a cannery by the water. It was closed but using my katana I broke the lock and we ran inside. Locking the door we ran to the back. We heard the police battering the door trying to get in. We were trying to find a way out but before we could find one the police broke in. We ran into a room filled with mazes of stacked boxes ready to be transported. We scrambled behind some boxes and waited. I hoped I wouldn't have to face them and they would give up and leave. No such luck as I saw 4 officers enter the room. I looked above me. I spotted an open window a few feet from the highest stack. If I climbed up the boxes I could jump to the window. I frowned. What would I do about Trey? Before I could think of an answer, Trey jumped out and attacked the officers. I cursed as I watched him take the officers by surprise. One fired his weapon but Trey knocked it out of his hand and the gun fired harmlessly into the air. I used the butt of my katana to knock out another officer who was about to shoot Trey. I kicked the gun out of the hands of another before knocking him out. Trey made short work of the other two but we had made too much noise and we heard reinforcements coming. I grabbed Trey and pointed to the window up top.

"Think you can make that?" I asked. He looked blankly at me for a second before he smiled and nodded. We climbed up the boxes. As I was pulling myself up the last box, a bullet barely missed my hand. I looked down to see a flood of police come into the room.

I cupped my hands and yelled to Trey. He put his foot in my hands as I gave him a boost. He flew through the air and grabbed the edge of the window sill and pulled himself up and out. As I got ready to jump I was met with a barrage of bullets. Ignoring the flying projectiles I leapt up and flew through the window. I landed on one knee on the other side. I looked up and saw Dos glaring at me. Behind him stood Trey, Five and IV. I guess IV found them while I was out looking for him and Trey.

"What did you do?" He snarled.

"Me? I was trying to save Trey!" I snapped.

"You've forced my hand." Dos said contemptuously. He pulled out several impulse grenades and threw them around the building. He also tossed one through the window I had come out of. My eyes widened as I realized what he meant to do.

We ran towards the pier and dove into the water as the building exploded into flames. I heard screaming from inside. Using the chaos we were able to get onto a nearby fishing boat. We threw the occupants into the water and sailed away unnoticed back to Thailand and home.

_The group had returned in disarray. When he finally sorted through their stories he understood what happened. Dos had gone behind his back. One had turned down this particular mission because it involved killing and not for a particularly good reason. Then Dos made several tactical errors. But everyone laid the blame on Six. He could see the boy was fed up. _

"_Master," He came up to One the next day and took off his shades. "Why am I Six?"_

_One sighed and stood up from where he was meditating to face him, "Because you are not as deadly as the others. You are not a cold blooded killer nor are you without a conscience. You value life."_

_Six seemed taken back by this. Then his eyes grew hard. "No, I am deadlier than you think. I'm going to prove it. But since none of you will let me do it here, I'm leaving."_

_One was speechless. He had not expected this. "Where are you going?"_

"_I'm leaving and I'm not coming back till I'm One." Six slapped his shades back on and stormed out._

_One's shoulders slumped as he sank back down to his meditation mat. He had failed. He hoped that Maisy could forgive him._

Holiday looked at Six expectantly.

"So what happened after the failed mission?"

"I left." Six answered flatly.

"What?"

"The others blamed me for the failure but I knew they were just looking for a scapegoat. I knew if I stayed I could never rise in the ranks. And I wanted to be higher than where I was."

"Why?" She asked softly.

"Pride." He answered candidly.

"So where did you go?"

" I called Knight. I think you can guess who that was." He smirked.

Holiday nodded, "So that's how you and White Knight started working together."

"We did a few jobs together. The last one was in the Caspian Sea. That's all I remember. The next thing I knew I was on a medical table in the lab looking at faces I didn't know."

"I remember. It must have been disorienting."

"I lost six years of memories." He growled frustrated.

"I know." Rebecca said gently. "But you're making new ones and as you told Rex once, `You need to live`."

Six looked at her, "I did? That was surprisingly… wise."

"You're a wise man, Six." It was her turn to smirk.

"I wish I could remember it.

"You will someday. Or if you don't we'll be here for you."

Six glanced at her hoping to be able to read what she was thinking, if she meant she personally will be there for him or a generic be there for him, but for once her face showed nothing he could understand.

"All those poor people." She muttered softly thinking back to the story.

Inwardly, Six winced. That was not a good sign. Maybe Holiday can't see him as anything but a cold-blooded killer. He looked away but his eyes snapped back to her when she started speaking.

"So you left to try to become One? Did that mean you were going to go back and finish off your own Master one day?" She asked.

Six started. He wasn't thinking of killing his Master. He was the only one in the world at that time who cared for him. He just wanted to be the best. For the longest time while working with Knight he was working to become hard-hearted. He tried to kill all sentimental emotions and wrap his heart in a case so tough nothing could seep through. But he must have failed somewhere because here he was. He loved and cared for this family he had inherited. He cared for Rex and wanted to see him grow up to be the great hero he knew he could be. He wanted to grow old with Rebecca and be with her through the good and the bad. He even sort of liked the chimp but he would never ever admit that out loud. White Knight was his friend and even though they were at odds his death weighed heavily on him. He only cared about Caesar because of what he means to Rex. He realized the list of people he genuinely wanted to protect and keep safe was starting to grow. It used to be that he only watched out for himself but now… It had become more complicated and complex. The strange thing was he didn't mind. He actually felt whole for the first time.

"Well?" Rebecca prompted.

"No," Six admitted. "I was angry and wanted to show him that I could be the best."

Rebecca got up. For a minute Six was afraid she was leaving. She walked toward the door. His heart sank as she reached for the panel. So she couldn't accept him. Well, he knew it was a gamble and that there was the possibility of her leaving him. He tried to steel himself for the rejection but knew it was not going to be easy. He could already feel heaviness in his chest growing. He found it difficult to breath.

But to his surprise, Rebecca merely made sure that the door was locked before walking back to him. He was even more surprise when she slipped her arms around his waist and gave him a hug. She buried her head deep into his chest and held on firmly.

As expected, Rebecca felt him automatically stiffen. Then slowly he relaxed. She knew he didn't like unwanted contact but too bad. She knew he needed this. After a few minutes she felt his arms go around her and his chin rested on her head. They were silent for a long time.

"Does this mean you'll stay?" He asked his usual monotone voice husky with emotion.

Rebecca chuckled into his chest. Without looking up, she said teasingly, "What do you think?"

Six gently let go of her. He took off his shades and looked into her beautiful green eyes. They were bright and happy.

"I love you, Six. Always have, always will. Not because of what you've done or what you can do but because of who you are." She said sincerely.

Unexpectedly, Six's lips crashed down on hers. One hand was on her head pushing her lips closer to his, the other tightly wounded around her waist. Holiday was so surprised that she actually stiffened but quickly surrendered to his kiss.

They broke apart for a second long enough for him to whisper, "I love you." Before kissing her again. Her hands found their way around his neck and held him tight.

It seemed like forever before they finally pulled apart, gasping for air with their foreheads touching.

"It's getting late." Rebecca said regretfully.

Six nodded, put his shades back on, and they left the office arms still wrapped around each other. They walked to her room. Rebecca opened her door, kissed him one more time before letting the door slide closed.

Six stood outside her door a while before a slow smile spread across his face. He shoved his hands in his pocket and walked back to his room.

0o0

The next morning Holiday walked into the cafeteria tired but happy. She spotted Rex, Caesar, her sister, and Callan all at the same table. Beverly smiled and gave a little wave. Rebecca acknowledged them with a smile and a wave. She got a tray, fixed herself a plate of food, and got some coffee before sitting down with them.

"Shoot, " she muttered. "Forgot a fork." She excused herself and went back to the cafeteria line. As she was walking there she passed by the door which slid opened to allow Six to walk in.

Holiday smiled warmly at him, "Good morn…" She never finished her greeting as Six gently grabbed her waist and kissed her full on the lips.

The whole cafeteria went silent. Six let go of her and walked over to the coffee station and made himself a cup. Not a sound was heard except the sounds of Six's shoes clicking on the tile and coffee being poured. Rex had his fork midway in the air between his plate and mouth. Whatever food that was on it had long slipped off. His jaw had dropped. Six walked back to the door, along the way he passed by the table. He reached over and snapped Rex's mouth shut, then continued his way out the door. Rebecca had stood rooted to the spot the whole time every function had ceased to work. But as Six nodded to her as he left she had the presence of mind to nod back.

Six walked down the hall. Midway down the hall he heard the cafeteria erupt into cheers. He hid a smile by sipping his still boiling hot coffee.

That was how all of Providence found out they were a couple.

**There's an epilogue I want to write before I end this story. I realize that it's dangerous writing in depth about the main characters especially ones that people feel so strongly about. So this is just my take on Six. I'm sure everyone has their own take on him. Sorry if you didn't like it. Thank you to all reviewers as usual. It helps me become a better writer when I get feed back. As for continuing writing, I'm sorry. I think I'm all written out. I started writing in the summer because I was bored and I was very annoyed with how the series ended. Now I have to teach and they gave me some crazy classes so I need to focus. Maybe if I have time I'll write a drabble here or there. BTW I don't do lemons, limes, slashes, or anything I would be embarrassed that my son could read.**


	8. Chapter 8

**I don't own any of the characters.**

_One watched the news coverage of Kiev being sealed off because of all the monsters that started appearing. It had been a week and there have been hundreds of reports of people spontaneously mutating into monsters and attacking people. He looked at his hand. Patches of red scale was starting to show. He couldn't put it off any longer. He had to contact his former students. Everyone went their own way after the disastrous mission in Malaysia. He was alone on the island. Now he had to let them know about his condition._

_A few days later Dos, Five, Trey, and IV showed up. They gasped when he stepped out of the shadows. He was partially covered with red scales and his eyes had turned a golden hue._

"_Thank you for coming." His voice was raspy. "As you can see I've been infected. I've been fighting the changes by meditating but I don't know how long before I completely change." He waved his hand toward the volcano. "I've changed the training room over the volcano to be my cell. It requires I enter a code every 41 minutes or it will drop in with everything in it."_

_He looked at his students and with a pang of regret noticed that Six was not among them. "I'm leaving you some personal affects of mine before I go." He began to give out various weapons and sentimental objects to his students. They all received his gifts with sadness on their faces, except for Dos who remained expressionless. As the others left, he called Dos aside._

"_Give this to Six for me." He said pressing a small box full of old journals into his hand._

"_Why can't you give it to him yourself?" He asked contemptuously._

"_I don't know when he'll be here and I don't want to take them with me to the room in case I am not able to enter the code in time. Please Dos, for old time's sake." He rasped. He knew Dos was disdainful of weakness and he saw One's illness as a sign of it. Then again when you are facing death you no longer care about petty things like pride. "Please," he asked again._

"_All right." Dos agreed reluctantly accepting the box._

"_Thank you." One said simply as he headed for the volcano._

Six stood in front of a tombstone that simply read "DOS". Holiday and Rex stood on either side of him. A light drizzle was slowly soaking through their clothes. Six glanced at both of them out of the corner of his shades. He told them they didn't need to come but they had insisted. In a way he was glad they had come. Dos was heartless and cruel but even he deserved to be remembered. His ears picked up an almost inaudible rustling from the trees that grew on either side of the cemetery. He turned to Rebecca and looked at her. She wordlessly nodded. She took Rex by the arm and led him back to the waiting jet. As their figures disappeared down the small hill, new figures materialized from the trees. Six looked at the new comers.

"You got my message." It wasn't a question.

"Finally, took out the old man, huh?" IV said sarcastically keeping his distance.

Six looked tiredly at him through his sunglasses. "I'm not in that line of work, IV. He attacked me. It was self-defense."

"Uh-huh." IV said unconvinced.

"Never thought dat man could be killed." Trey noted.

Five remained silent.

"So does that mean we all move up now?" IV asked.

Six glared at the bandaged mercenary. "One will always be One. I'm staying Six. You can fight for whatever other number you want."

"We'll stay with our numbers." Five finally spoke.

The others looked at her in surprise.

"You don't speak for me." IV glowered at her.

Five turned to face him. The look in her eyes made IV take a step back.

"We stay with our numbers." She said firmly with a deadly calm in her voice.

Trey shrugged. He didn't care. He just liked to break bones. IV looked like he was about to protest but thought the better of it.

Six looked at Five curiously and wondered what was going through her head. The Numbers said nothing else and one by one walked back into the shadow of the trees. They had finished paying their respects. Five was the last to go.

"I'm sorry." Six said to her as she turned to go.

Five turned around startled for a second and a small smile pulled at the corners of her mouth.

"It wouldn' have worked anyway. Like I said before, don't blow it with her." Her head jerked toward the direction of where they were waiting.

Six nodded and watched her disappear into the woods. He wasn't sure when she had said that before but it probably had to do with his missing memory. As he was about to walk away himself, he heard her call out.

"Check behind the grave." Six was surprised but walked back to the tombstone. Sure enough there sat a box. He lifted the lid and saw a bunch of old journals.

"Dos, was suppose to give that to you but he never did. I found it among his things." Six noted that Five's accent was not as strong as it use to be.

"Thank you." He called out flatly.

He was met with silence so he knew she had left. Six picked up the box and walked back to the jet.

Holiday and Rex were waiting for him.

"What's that?" Rex asked.

"Something from One." He answered getting into the jet.

"What?" Rex asked incredulously. "What he do? Come back from beyond?"

"Something like that." He answered.

Holiday didn't comment. She knew Six would only tell when he was ready. She entered the jet silently and they went home.

0o0

Six sat on the edge of his bed flipping through the first journal. He could only read through the first few pages before he knew his hard emotional shell would crack soon. He put it down and looked at the box at his feet. It was Maisy's journals. Each one had stories about him growing up and her feelings about him. There were even photos of him as a child pasted in some of the pages. He never knew these existed. He picked up the newer looking one and opened it up to the last page. Familiar handwriting greeted him but it was not Maisy's. It was One's.

Six,

I wanted you to know how proud I am of you. I realize that I have to trust that the good in your soul will overcome the darkness of your life. I hope you can forgive me for leading you into the mercenary's life but I know that you will come out all right. Maisy always believed that and so do I. I won't be around much longer but I know you will continue to make me proud. I just hope I get a chance to tell you face to face.

-Master

Six felt tears well up but he quickly quashed them. He hadn't cried since he was a child and he wasn't about to start but still… a warm feeling spread from his chest to the rest of his body. Something in him that he didn't even know was broken seemed to fix itself. He felt redeemed. He smiled as he put the journal back in the box. He slid it under his bed. There will be time to peruse them at his leisure. Right now he had work to do. Getting up he adjusted his sunglasses and smoothed his jacket and pants before heading out his room. As the door slid open, he was met by Rebecca.

"I was wondering if you'd like to join me for dinner." She smiled.

He gave her a rare smile back. "Of course." He offered her his arm and they walked to the cafeteria together.

_He was surprised that his students decided to take care of him. They brought him food and sometimes stayed to keep him company. But he really wanted to see the boy. Finally, Six did show up. He didn't say much but he took off his sunglasses, knelt down before him, and made One look at him. _

"_Master, I'm going to work for a new group that's handling these outbreaks. I promise you that if there's any way to help you I will find it."_

_One tried to speak to tell him about the journals, to tell him how proud he was of him, to tell him anything but most of his voice had been robbed. All he could do is make a low growl._

"_S-s-s-i-i-ix, "Came the low rumble._

"_Shhh, save your energy. Keep fighting this. I'll come visit when I can."_

_One nodded. He reached out to his boy and laid his hand now becoming a paw on his hand._

_Six gripped his Master's hand, squeezed it and then let go. He put back his sunglasses and got up." He walked toward the door, looked back one more time before taking his leave._

_True to his word he came back a few times more. Too few for his taste but he came. In fact one day he came bearing news about a doctor and a boy. Something about a possible cure. One's brain was starting to get hazy. Every time Six showed up he racked his head because he knew he had to tell him something but he could never remember what. _

_Then one day something was different._

_There was a boy there with the rest of his student… a stranger. One's thoughts were hazy and confused. What are they doing? Where was he? Why did he want to rip them to shreds? He looked at the room he was in. I AM A MAN. It was scrawled all over the wall. The stranger put his hand on him. Intense pain shot all over him. His flight instinct took over and he ripped off his chains and bounded out of the room. Then the stranger appeared again. He was saying something. One attacked him. He didn't want anymore pain. But the stranger touches him again and he feels his body trying to heal itself. But then it stops. There is fighting going on. Why is the boy being attacked? Slowly some clarity was coming back to his mind. He knew he was dying. He had to tell Six. Now he was on the beach. How did he get here? The stranger was causing pain once again but this time One reached out and took over the stranger._

"_Six," He said through the stranger._

"_One?" Six was startled._

"_You come so little…"_

"_Master, I mean no disrespect..."_

"_You come so little that I never got the chance to tell you how proud I am of you."_

"_One, We're taking you home."_

_One looked out over the horizon to someplace only he could see. There was a light that shone brightly and a shadow was moving to the forefront. Slowly, he recognized who it was. She smiled at him and held out her hand._

"_But Six, I am home."_

_One let go of the stranger's mind and left but not back to his body which slowly dissolved. One was no longer interested in what was happening in the physical world. He felt lighter and freer. His movements were unhindered by pain or old age. He took Maisy's hand. They looked into each other's eyes and smiled. Then hand in hand they walked back into the light._

0o0

In a lonely graveyard, the dirt started to fall down at the newly installed grave site. A hole started to appear as more dirt fell. Suddenly an inhuman hand with sharp claws burst from the ground. It pulled more dirt down trying to drag its body up from its prison. Finally, a shoulder popped up and a head. It's eyes glowed dark red. One audible word escaped its twisted lips, "Revenge."

**I'm done with this story. Will I continue with the rest? I don't know. Writing well thought out coherent stories is hard. Don't have the time right now. But I know that many cartoons leave cliff-hangers that are never resolved so I don't feel too bad. Hope some of you liked it. If you have time please comment. I realize that it's comments that make me want to write more. Kinda OCD that way. Thank you to SDF, fanaticagenrex, SirenSounds97, lionsandtrolls, and motherafrica for your reviews. God bless.**


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